


You're My Muse

by carryonmywaywardnugget



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Complete, Destiel - Freeform, Eventual Happy Ending, M/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-09
Updated: 2013-08-03
Packaged: 2017-12-18 05:23:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/876095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carryonmywaywardnugget/pseuds/carryonmywaywardnugget
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Winchester is a struggling author. He spends his days at his favorite coffee shop trying to get his muse going. He almost gives up, until there's a new regular at the shop-Castiel Novak. Dean becomes enamored with this new man, and makes him a character in his new book. When Dean leaves the coffee shop in an emergency one day, he forgets his laptop. When Cas finds it, will he be mortified at Dean's story? Or intrigued at the perfect life made for him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Day

The alarm on his phone whined and buzzed as he forced his eyes open so he could find where the noise was coming from. As he shut off the alarm, he sat up and stretched. It was going to be another routine day. He’d stay in the little coffee shop until almost closing time, staring at the blank screen of his computer as he tried to form sentences. Then once he left, he would go to a restaurant nearby and pick up something to eat. Maybe he would get drunk, or go to the bar and pick up a chick, or a guy depending on the day. But maybe he’d just head straight home, not wanting to deal with people any more. From there, he’d force himself to stay awake as long as possible so he could write something-anything.  
Dean Winchester had just finished college and had majored in English and Writing. His brother had tried to get him to write a book, saying that his girlfriend Jess could ask her boss to publish it. (She had just started working at a new publishing company and was trying to get on the boss’ good side. In fact, Sam practically begged Dean to write a book, thinking Jess would love Sam even more for doing this for her-even though that probably wasn't possible, they were already love struck and Dean even thought this would be the girl who agreed to marry Sammy.) Dean was wary about writing, but promised Sam he would try. So far, he’d gotten nowhere. His muse refused to cooperate. Plus, Dean was having serious writer’s block and couldn't think of anything interesting to write to begin with.  
So, everyday Dean got up at 8:30 and walked down to the local coffee shop. It was a nice little place. It was always cozy and made Dean feel at home. All of the baristas (there were only 4 of them,) knew Dean by name too, which made his ventures to the humble little shop even nicer. That’s where he sat with his laptop and people watched. He would hope someone would look interesting enough to write about. Although he hadn't had any luck yet, he always told himself he was doing this from Sammy. So the cursor would blink all day in anticipation of Dean finally getting that big idea.  
Dean finally got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and shave. (Because even though he only talked to a few people each day, he wasn't going to walk around town looking like an animal.) As he looked in the mirror, he noticed the bags under his eyes becoming more prominent.  
“Damn book will be the death of me,” he mumbled to himself as he squeezed some toothpaste onto his brush.  
Once he was done in the bathroom, he dressed in his favorite black jeans with a long sleeved dark blue shirt. After putting on a black blazer and his shoes, he grabbed his laptop on his way out.  
It was a couple blocks to the small shop and he enjoyed the crisp morning air as he walked. He reached his destination in under 15 minutes, as he did everyday.  
“Morning, Dean,” the blonde barista greeted as he walked in.  
“Morning, Jo,” he replied as he grabbed the coffee that was already made for him. Once he paid, he took his coffee and laptop and headed towards his usual seat in the back. He found that it was easy to people watch from back here without anybody noticing.  
He opened his computer and clicked on Microsoft Word. After seeing his progress from the previous day, (nothing) he closed the laptop. The last thing he wanted to do was sit here all day and not write anything. But all he could do was hope that someone interesting would come in to spark his muse. So there Dean sat, waiting for that someone.  
\-----------------------------

“Gabriel! Careful! That box is full of the glasses!” Castiel yelled at the younger Novak.  
“”Don’t worry bro! They’re good!” Gabe yelled back.  
“I’m sure the glasses will be fine, Castiel,” Anna assured, as she walked up next to Castiel with a box in her hands. “But what about you? Will you be fine?” She looked at him with sad eyes.  
“Eventually...” Castiel replied.  
The Novaks had moved the Lawrence after their father’s passing. Sure, he’d left his three kids millions, but money didn't exactly soften the blow. After their mother died two years back, their dad was never the same. He was distant and left often to get drunk. The kids were just getting over their mother's death when their dad got into a car accident, killing him and the driver of the other car. When Castiel found out, he cursed his father, he threw things and yelled “how could he do that to us?!” He screamed until he was blue in the face. Castiel couldn't stay in that town anymore. Everything reminded him of their parent’s deaths. So, using the money his dad had put away for them, he picked them up and moved them. He hoped to forget everything and get a new start.  
“You sure? You've been quiet lately,” Anna said.  
“Yeah, I’m just...I’m angry.” Cas stated.  
“We all are, and we have every right to be.”  
“I know.”  
“Should we finish unpacking?” Anna suggested.  
“Yeah, good idea,” Cas agreed.

 

\--------------------------

 

“You alright, Dean?” Jo asked as she sat down at Dean’s table.  
“Yeah, it's just this writing. It’s killing me because I have no idea what to write, and my brother begged me to write something so his girlfriend could become a suck-up to her boss. I don’t want to let them down, but...I just don’t know what to do,” Dean sighed as he put his head in his hands.  
“Wow, you have a lot of pressure on your shoulders,” she said.  
“No kidding. And everyday I come here, hoping to see someone that my interest, yet there’s been no one so far.”  
“Well, the day is still early-too early actually, but you never know. Maybe today’s the day your mystery character will waltz in here.”  
“Thanks, Jo,” Dean managed a small smile.  
“No problem. Hey, I’d love to stay and chat, but the early crew will be here any minute.”  
“Oh, yeah. That’s fine, go,” he chuckled as she pushed in her chair and headed back to the counter.  
Dean opened his laptop once more, now more determined to write his perfect story.

\---------------------------

“Did we really have to unpack everything so early? Especially after driving all night?” Gabe whined as he grabbed one of the smallest boxes from the rental truck.  
“At least we’re getting it over with Gabe,” Castiel bargained.  
“But I’m. So. Worn. Out.”  
“How? You slept all night while Anna and I drove,” Castiel said.  
“Pfft, whatever bro. Hey, you wanna go get some coffee? I might stop complaining,” Gabe said with a mischievous smile.  
“I highly doubt that, but I could go for some too, and another bonus is that I get a break from you,” Castiel said as he walked towards the car.  
Now all he had to do was find a coffee shop.


	2. Not a stalker

After driving around for 15 minutes, Castiel finally found a little shop that was actually open this early. _Shouldn’t coffee shops be open early? Isn’t that the point of coffee? To have it early?_ He parked the car and walked in, greeted by the warmth and the smell of cinnamon and coffee. There were a few people in line, but there was only one person sitting near the back. He had his head down over the computer

 _Maybe getting an early start on work?_  
He noticed how tired the man looked and kind of felt bad. Until of course he noticed the stranger suddenly staring back at him. Castiel stared back, but was unsure of why he couldn’t look away.

“Sir?”  
The voice startle both Castiel and the man in the back.  
“Oh, sorry,” he said as he went up to the counter.  
When did all of the other people leave?  
“Three black coffees please,” Castiel asked.  
He snuck a glance at the guy in the corner and saw the other man put his head down as soon as they made eye contact .  
“Excuse me?” He asked the barista.  
“Yeah?”  
“Who’s that man?” He said as he nodded in the man’s direction.  
She glanced back before smiling and answering.  
“That’s Dean,” she whispered. “He’s an author of sorts. He’s also a regular here, comes in everyday, and he’s really cool.” She finishes as she hands him the three coffees.

“Oh, thanks,” he replied as he paid the girl and put his change in the tip jar. On his way out he glimpsed at the man he now knew as Dean and found him looking right back at him with almost wide eyes.  
He walked back into the cool morning with his coffees in hand and a smile playing at his lips.

↭↭↭↭↭

“Hey, Dean,” Jo called from the counter.  
“Yeah?”  
“Did you know who that guy was? The one that was just in here?”  
“No, why?  
“He just asked about you.”  
Dean froze.  
“W-why?”  
“I don’t know, but he was staring at you,” she walked over to Dean’s table. “Maybe you have an admirer,” she said and smirked.  
Shut up, Jo. That would be cool, but you know I don’t have time for a relationship. Hell, I haven’t even had a one night stand in weeks,” Dean sighed.  
“Well, okay. But didn’t you just say not half an hour ago that you were looking for someone to “spark your interest?” He looked like he could. And if not...He could always spark mine,” Jo smiled mischievously.  
“C’mon Jo, really?”  
“Hell yeah! Did you see him? Guy was hot.”  
“Don’t you have work to do?” Dean sighed.  
“Fine Winchester,” she gave up and walked back behind the counter, waiting for the next group of coffee drinkers that would be here any minute.

“What took so long, bro?” Gabe asked as Castiel walked into the house carrying the coffees.  
“Sorry, I had to find one that was actually open,” Cas replied, handing him and Anna their drinks.  
“Shouldn't all coffee houses be open early?” Anna asked as she sipped the coffee.  
“I thought the same thing, but not in this town apparently,” Cas said. “So, how much more do we have to unpack?”  
“Just a few more boxes, nothing too bad,” Anna answered  
“Good,” Cas said almost instantly.  
“Woah, what’s your rush big boy? Got a hot date?” Gabe laughed.  
Cas turned a bit pink at this.  
“You know I don’t!” _Although you might like too._ “We just moved here!”  
“You could have met someone at the shop,” Gabe waited about two seconds before he burst laughing. “Wait a sec, no you couldn’t have because you practically pee yourself when you try to talk to people!”  
Castiel was completely red by now as Anna put her arm around him.  
“Gabriel!” Anna hissed.  
“Sorry bro, but it’s true,” he said as he caught his breath. “You just aren’t good at talking to people.”  
“That’s no reason to make fun of him.”  
“It’s ok. I know I don’t really have ‘people skills.’”  
“You never know Castiel, you could meet someone,” Anna assured him.  
“Although they’ll have to talk to you first,” Gabe added.  
“Shut it, Gabriel,” Anna said as she glared at him.  
“No, no, he’s probably right. But you know what?” He said as he looked at them. “I don’t want to meet anyone right now. All I want to do is finish unpacking.” He complained as he put down his coffee and headed out to the truck.

 

↭↭↭↭↭

“Dean, go home.” The barista called.  
“I’m getting there, Meg.”  
“Dean I know you’ve been here since before my shift. It’s time to go home. Try eating something, you look like shit.”  
“Bite me, Meg,” Dean replied.  
“Maybe later. Hey get some sleep while you’re at it, before this non-existent book kills you.”  
Dean pulled on his blazer as he stood up.  
“Alright, I’m going. Happy?”  
“Yeah, now,” she smirked.  
Dean smirked as he grabbed his computer and headed towards the door.  
“See you tomorrow, Meg,” he called.  
“Later Winchester.”  
The cold are hit Dean as he walked outside. He debated grabbing something to eat but finally decided against it. He would just find something at home to snack on.

He was always amazed when he left the little coffee house. It never felt like he was in there the whole day, but when it was dark out when he left it made him feel as if he’d wasted the entire day. Which technically he had, since he hadn’t made any progress on the book.

Unfortunately, Dean knew his days of doing practically nothing were almost over. All of the money his dad gave him when he passed was almost gone. He’d have to get a job or start hauling ass on this book. He couldn’t afford to waste anymore time.

As he walked he thought about the day and what Jo said this morning. The stranger was cute, he’d give her that. Maybe if he started coming Dean could say hi.  
 _He must be new. Everyone in town has been to that coffee shop but you’ve never seen him before._

He could take this chance to show him around town. But who was he kidding? He had the worst people skills out there. There’s no way Dean could work about the amount of courage it would take to talk to that guy. Sure he could charm the pants off the ladies and sometimes guys, but those were never real, heartfelt conversations. They were fake, and meant nothing. Dean wanted a friendship, or more. But he didn’t know how to go about getting that.

_Looks like you just have to wait and see if he even comes in again. After today, all that staring you did probably scared the poor man away. And, you don’t even know his name._

Dean sighed as he reached his little apartment. While it was small, it was perfect for him. He had everything he needed there and it was comfy. He’d never admit though that the real reason he went to the coffee shop was not to people watch for his book, but because he got lonely. He’d also never admit that having the baristas know his name was huge for him, because it made him feel like he had friends, when he had no one else in this city. He did however think him and Jo might be friends, considering they actually talked everyday. He knew he could always call Sam, but also knew he was busy with school and Jess and work. He had been in this city awhile now, but because of his lack of social skills, he was scared to venture out there and really meet someone.

_Maybe he would talk to you. He looked confident._

“Maybe...” Dean mumbled as he went straight to his bedroom, prepared to get a full night sleep. Prepared for tomorrow and whatever it threw at him.

↭↭↭↭↭

“Gabe? I’m going out. I’ll bring coffee back” Castiel said as he walked into the living room.  
Gabe looked up from his phone and laughed at Cas.  
“It’s nine in the morning? Where on earth could you be going?”  
“I’m going to get coffee, and maybe walk around a bit. I’ll be back,” he chuckled.  
“Alright. Hey, is Anna still sleeping?”  
“Yeah, she was up late. She couldn’t get used to the house.”  
“Ok. Well, see you later.”  
“Yep, bye,” Cas said as he walked out to his car. He had no plan on going for a walk around town, but figured Gabriel would make assumptions if he told him he was going to just sit in the coffee shop.  
Once he pulled up in front of the little shop, he got nervous. Would Dean be there? Would he stare? Would he say hi? Crap. He should just turn around and go home, before he embarrassed himself.  
 _You’ve never even met the man. He looked at you ONCE. Get over yourself and go get the damn coffee._ His subconscious screamed, and told him it was no big deal. So, with all the courage he could muster, he got out of his safe little car and headed in.

The first thing he noticed when walking in was the man in the back. Dean. He hadn’t noticed Castiel yet, so Cas could get a really good look at him. This time though, he paid attention to line, making sure to move up when people left, not wanting a repeat of yesterday. Dean finally looked up from his laptop and right at Cas, causing him to turn pink as if he’d been caught doing something worse than looking. He reached to counter to find the same woman who served him yesterday.

“One black coffee please,” he said at almost a whisper.  
After paying for his drink, he figured he’d sit in this time.  
There were a couple more people sitting in today, which made him feel a little better, yet at the same time more nervous.  
He picked a seat near the back, but one the opposite side of Dean.  
He pulled out his phone, and pretended to be busy. Instead of actually paying attention to his phone though, his eyes were all over Dean.

_There’s not a chance in Hell I could talk to him. Look at him! Maybe he’ll say hi? Should I say something? Could I say something without tripping or stuttering? No. Probably not._

He had been sitting for about half an hour, glancing at Dean and taking small sips of his coffee until he noticed it had gone cold.

 _It’s now or never Novak. Say hi. On your way out. You can do it. Maybe...You can try_.

“Here goes,” he mumbled to himself as he got up and grabbed his coffee. He walked over telling himself not to stutter or say anything stupid.  
“Um, hello Dean.”  
“Hello?” Dean said as he looked up confused. “How...uh, how do you know my name?”

_Crap! He doesn’t know I know his name! I must sound like a stalker! Good job asshat, you blew that in two seconds flat. New record!_

Cas turned red and stood there with his mouth wide open.  
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m not a stalker!”  
Dean gave him strange look before Cas realized what he had said.

_Are you stupid? “Don’t worry I’m not a stalker!” What’s wrong with you!?_

“No no no! I mean uh, she” Cas pointed at the barista, “she told me your name yesterday,” Cas finished, as he started breathing again.  
“Oh, Jo? Yeah she um, told me you asked about me,” Dean looked at him and gave him a small smile.  
 _Damn, he’s got pretty eyes._  
“Yeah, well, I just wanted to say hi. I’m gonna go now.” Cas spun on his heels before he could embarrass himself further.  
“Wait! What’s your name?” Dean called after Cas.  
“Castiel,” he replied hurriedly as he practically ran out and into his car.  
“Castiel, you’re the biggest screw up ever,” he muttered as he started the car and headed home, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hide this from Gabriel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that there's not a lot of back story on Dean or Cas, but I'll get there. It's going to come out once Dean and Cas actually start talking and getting to know each other.


	3. The Great Talk

“Did you see that?” Dean asked with a grin from ear to ear.  
“No, what happened?” Jo asked  
“That guy, Castiel. He talked to me.”  
“Hot guy from yesterday?”  
“Yeah, I mean he’s a bit odd. He kind of said the weirdest thing possible, but it was amusing,” Dean said with a chuckle.  
Jo got a small smile on her face then.  
“You like him, don’t you Dean?”  
“Jo! I talked to him _once_! Yeah he’s attractive, but calm down, I just met him.”  
“Alright alright, fair enough,” she said as she put her hands up in surrender. “But let me know if anything else happens!” She finished.  
“Well, there is one other thing...” Dean said slowly.  
“What!?” Jo cried.  
“I got it,” he replied.  
“What? A new STD because you can’t keep it in your pants?”  
“Fuck you! No! I’ve got my characters, which is huge considering yesterday I had absolutely nothing.”  
“Ooooh. So, who are your mystery characters? Will I blush?” Jo smiled mischievously.  
“No you’re not one of them, and I can’t tell you who they are.”  
“Seriously?”  
“Sorry, I don’t want anyone to know,” Dean said.  
“Wow. Touch me in the morning then leave me. I see how it is.” She glared at Dean while heading back to the counter.  
“Don’t be mad! I thought you’d be happy I was making progress!” He called.  
She looked at him a second before replying.  
“Of course I’m happy for you, you ass,” she laughed. “It’s about damn time you got something done.”  
“Thanks, Jo,” Dean said with a smile.  
“Don’t mention it, Winchester.”

 

↭↭↭↭↭

Cas pulled into their driveway. He was terrified to go in and face Gabe. He had a feeling he would just know that something happened, and the last thing he wanted to do right now was relive what just happened at the coffee shop.

_He’s your brother! This isn’t supposed to be a big deal. You’re just being a little bitch. Get in there. When did you become afraid of your own family?_

He got out of the car and walked in, seeing Anna and Gabriel perched on the couch.  
“Hello, Castiel,” Anna greeted.  
“Hey br- wait. Where’s our coffee?”

_Damn. Of course you forgot their coffees, you practically ran out like a little girl. Good luck explaining this one._

“Oh, um. I kind of got...caught up.” Cas replied.

_Well, at least you’re not lying._

“With what? Do tell sweet brother of ours,” Gabriel cooed.  
“It’s nothing,” Cas lied as he walked past them and into the kitchen.  
“You sure you’re ok? You looked kind of pale when you walked in,” Anna said after following Cas.  
“Yeah I’m good. I just had a really weird and completely awkward morning,” Cas did his best to explain.  
“Want to talk about it?”  
“Not really. I’ll just get embarrassed all over again.”  
“Ok. Well, I’m here if you need.”  
“I know, thanks Anna.”

↭↭↭↭↭

The rest of the day was uneventful for both Dean and Castiel. Cas just lounged around his house, unpacking things here and there while doing his best to completely avoid Gabe. Dean stayed in the coffee shop like usual and got started on his protagonists and antagonists. He hadn’t come up with what his book was going to be about yet, but he knew it’d be easier to come up with something now that he had his characters. When Meg finally shooed him out, he thought he’d made serious progress. He could do this, he could actually write this book. Meeting Cas had seriously helped remove his writer’s block and helped him feel better about writing. He actually ate a full meal too, instead of just snacking on chips or granola bars like usual, and went to bed at a reasonable time. After meeting just once, Dean already couldn’t wait to see him again.

 

↭↭↭↭↭

Castiel had set an alarm for the next morning. He wanted to see Dean again, and hopefully this time he wouldn’t stumble over his own words.He got out of bed and stretched as he walked into the bathroom. He noticed some stubble, but was too lazy to do anything about it.

After brushing his teeth, he got dressed in a pair of faded jeans and an ACDC t-shirt. It was simple enough and comfortable. He headed downstairs to see Gabe and Anna talking at the kitchen table- something about Star Trek.

“Hey guys. I’m uh... gonna head out,” Castiel managed.  
Gabriel looked at him as if he just said he was joining the circus.  
“We’ve been in this town three days Castiel. Three. Yet you seem pretty keen on leaving pretty early. You come in all pale and avoid answering our questions,” Gabe accused.  
“What are you saying?” Cas asked, now more nervous than ever.  
“Are you doing drugs?” Anna blurted.  
“What? Of course not! I’m going to the coffee shop. That’s where I went yesterday too, so you guys can calm down.” Cas almost laughed at their assumption.  
“I’ll go with you,” Gabe said as he got up from his chair.  
“No!” Cas put his hands up. “I mean, I wanna get there now, before there’s a lot of people and you’d have to get ready.”  
“What wrong with the way I look?” Gabe asked defensively.  
“Well, you’re only in boxers and a t-shirt for one,” Cas retorted.  
“Whatever. But you better remember to bring back coffee for us this time.” Gabe hissed.  
“Why don’t you just go to the store and buy some? Using a coffee pot isn’t rocket science.”  
“Maybe because you take the car and I’m too lazy to walk.”  
“Fine. I’ll bring your stupid coffee,” he muttered on his way out.

 

↭↭↭↭↭

Cas pulled up to the coffee shop a few minutes later. He was excited to see Dean, but was scared at the same time. He wanted to talk to him, but kept thinking if he did, he would make a fool of himself again. He had an idea as to how to fix that, but wasn’t sure it would work. All he could do was try, he supposed, as he headed in to buy his drink.

Dean saw Cas walk in and stand in line to get his drink. He was nervous about speaking to him again, but was more nervous for Cas. He could already tell the guy was shy, so it must be hard for him to get out there and talk to people. He knew he could help him with that, so he set his little plan in motion.

Little did the pair know that they both had the same plan. However, the outcome was a little different. Dean wasn’t going to talk to Cas, in hopes that Cas would gain some courage and talk to Dean himself- and if Dean was being honest, he wasn’t sure he could talk to Cas. (what with him not really being able to talk either.) And Cas wasn’t going to talk to Dean, in hopes that he wouldn’t have to face his shyness, and Dean would talk to him instead.

So, instead of talking to each other that day-and Cas tripping over his own words, Cas got his coffee, and Gabriel and Anna’s and left. He glanced back at Dean who looked back at him briefly. Before things got a bit awkward, Cas left, leaving Dean more than a little confused.

Dean watched Cas leave with the three drinks. He wasn’t sure what just happened, but felt bad. He felt like it was his fault that Cas had been uncomfortable, but there wasn't anything he could do now that he had left. He’d left Dean staring at the door, completely addled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was awful, I know. Things took a turn and this is not at all what I want to happen. Sorry about that. Please review!


	4. A Not so Random Meeting

Castiel walked into the house feeling guilty. He should have at least said hi, right? He should have been (somewhat of) a man and said _something!_ He looked around and didn't see Anna or Gabriel anywhere. After walking into the kitchen and putting their coffees on the table, he noticed a sticky not on the edge of the table that had not been there when he left this morning.

_Castiel, Anna and I went to get our own coffee since we weren't completely sure you would actually bring us any. I hate having to walk, but a man needs his cup of joe. We should be home soon. Maybe._  
 _-Gabe_

Castiel sat down at the table reading the note once more. He knew he hadn’t been gone long, so they couldn’t have been either. He also knew that he didn’t want to sit in the house all day and wallow in self pity for being the most awkward human being in all of creation. So, he put the coffees in the fridge, and with that, decided he could go walk around for a while and get to know the town.

↭↭↭↭↭

“Hey Jo?” Dean said once there were no more people in line.  
“Yeah?”  
“Um, could you watch my laptop for me?” He asked with a small smile.  
“Sure? But...can I ask why?” She looked a little worried at Dean’s request.  
“I’m...I’m gonna take a walk, and I just don’t want to have to carry that around with me everywhere,” he explained.  
“Wait. You’re actually leaving the coffee shop?” Her expression went from worried to shocked, and then she finally started laughing. “Dean, you never leave! You’re here more than you’re at your own home! Why the sudden change?”  
“I just need some air. The past few days have been kind of weird, and I want to start really focusing on my book, but I just want to take a second for myself. No people watching, no uncomfortable conversations with strangers, just me and some fresh air. Okay?” Dean started walking to the door as he continued to explain. “I’ll be back before your shift is over. Thanks,” he said as he walked out.

Dean walked down the street, taking in all the little buildings that he was usually too busy to notice. He’d lived here his entire life, and while this town rarely changed, Dean always felt like he never knew this place. He had spent his days in the library with Sam, or he was at school, or in the coffee shop. There weren’t many times when Dean just stopped to take in the town.

He walked almost two blocks, and saw almost no one. Granted, it was still early, but from the shop he occasionally noticed a jogger, or someone walking a dog or two. However today was eerily quiet. He had passed a couple people just a minute ago, one with red hair and the other with hair like Sam’s, but other than them, almost no one.

He turned the corner to see a man getting out of his little blue car and was thankful he wasn’t losing his mind, people just weren’t out today. He got a little closer, and had sworn he had seen that tuft of jet black hair before.

_Oh._

Dean saw Cas before he saw Dean, and he debated if he should run and avoid whatever conversation would come. However, he must have stood there a little too long, because next thing he knew, Cas was in front of him.

“Dean?” His head was tilted, as if he wasn’t sure if Dean was really there.  
“Yeah, uh, hi Cas,” Dean said with a slightly shaky voice.  
“Cas?” He asked, looking even more confused now.  
“Oh, sorry, Castiel,” Dean looked down at his feet. Now it was his turn to feel like a fool.  
“No, that’s fine! I like Cas, it’s just.. I’m so used to people calling me Castiel. It, uh, kind of caught me off guard.”  
“Oh.”

They stood for a few seconds before Cas broke the silence.  
“So, I thought you spent all day in the coffee shop. What brings you out to the real world?” Cas said with a small chuckle.  
“Oh, I wanted to get some fresh air, that’s all,” Dean said softly.  
“I see,” Cas replied.  
“Well, what about you?” Dean questioned. “What brings you into town?”  
“I just wanted to take a walk, maybe get to know that town a bit,” he stated.  
“Right, yeah. So you are new in town. I kind of thought so, considering I hadn’t seen you in the coffee shop before the other day, and almost everyone in town goes in there, and sorry... I’m rambling,” Dean finished after he noticed Cas smiling as he spoke.  
“No, it’s fine. You must know everyone then huh?”  
“Kind of, yeah. I know the people more than the city itself.”  
“Well, since we’re both novices when it comes to this town, would you um,” Cas looked down at his hands and turned a bit pink. “Would you want to get to know the town with me?”

Dean smiled at this and thought that Jo was right. He _did_ kind of like this guy, even if he’d only talked to him a few times. He was cute when he was flustered and now that Dean thought about it, the only time he’d really seen Cas was when he was flustered and blushing. His eyes were hypnotising and Dean couldn’t help but turn a bit pink when he caught himself staring at Cas’ lips. He could end up falling for this guy, and it didn’t bother him one bit.

_Screw the book for right now, you deserve this. You’ve given that book that last year of your life. Go with him or so help me you’ll never sleep again!_

“Yeah, Cas. I’d like that,” Dean reassured him after battling is subconscious.

Cas lit up a bit, happy that he wasn’t being rejected in the middle of a public sidewalk, and because now he got to spend the morning with the man who’s had his eye since he moved here.

 _Three days, Castiel. Don’t scare this one away huh? Can you do that? Try and act normal. Don’t get all flustered either, he probably thinks it’s weird_.

“I do know a good book store a few blocks down if you want to check that out,” Dean said, rubbing the back of neck as they began to walk.  
“Sounds perfect,” Cas agreed as he glanced up at the nervous man next to him and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Madelyn and Natalie, even though you probably aren't reading this yet. Thanks for the comments! They certainly keep me going!


	5. The Book Store a Few Blocks Down

They reached the little bookshop about 10 minutes later. They had walked in silence, but it was comfortable, and normal, is if they’d known each other for ages.  
When they walked in, the first thing Castiel noticed was how worn down the small place was. There were a lot of books, but they all seem damaged and old. It looked as if no one had been here in years.

 

“I know it might not look that great,” Dean said, as if reading Cas’ mind. “But there are a lot of great books here. At least there was last time I came here.”

“Dean!” A voice shouted, startling both of them.  
“Oh, hi, Mrs. Mills,” Dean greeted.  
“You haven’t been in here in months! What, are you allergic to walking a few blocks to let me know that you weren’t dead!?” She yelled with false anger.  
“I’m sorry ma’am, just had a lot on my plate,” he said with a grin.  
“You’re new book?”  
“Yes, ma’am,”  
“Fine," she said pointing herfinger at Dean. "But next time you let me know you’re still alive so I don’t have to make the police drag you down here, boy.”  
“I will,” he laughed.

Dean had thought of Mrs. Mills like a grandma, always calling him out on things, but always there to praise him too. He really felt bad not that he hadn’t stopped in to say hello, but he could worry about that later, when he wasn’t with Cas, who was now wandering aimlessly through the store.

↭↭↭↭↭↭

Cas walked over to one of the termite ridden shelves and picked up a leather bound book. He smiled as he recognised it as _To Kill a Mockingbird_. It was one of his favorites when he was younger. He always thought of it as his escape book when things got rough around the house.

“There are some newer books in the back, if you want,” Dean interrupted Cas’ thoughts.  
“Yeah, sure. But um, can I take this one with me?” He asked with a small smile.  
“Of course. Mrs. Mills usually lets me take whatever, since the books are so old. Whatever you want, it’s yours.” Dean said back.  
“Wow, thanks,” Cas added as they began to walk around. “So, you must read a lot right? What with being an author and all?”  
“I try. I’ve been working on my own book lately so I haven’t had too much time on my hands to come here. I kind of missed this old place.”  
“Speaking of, what _is_ your book going to be about? I wanted to ask you earlier, but I didn’t want to trip over my words,” Cas blushed a bit as he spoke.  
“Yeah, I thought about saying hi, but you were gone before I really noticed you were there,” Dean chuckled. “But uh, I’ve had a lot of ideas the past year, but none of them seemed right, you know? I think I’m closer to getting that big idea. It’s gotta be perfect too, I don’t want to disappoint, but I’ve got my characters, so that’s something,” Dean looked at Cas, waiting for a response.  
“Who are your characters?” Cas asked with genuine interest.  
“Sorry, I can’t spoil anything,” Dean grinned.  
“Really? Not even one character name?”  
“Nope, I can’t tell anyone. It’s a surprise.”  
“This book better be good then,” Cas laughed.

By then they had reached the back of the store and Cas looked amazed. There were _so many_ books back here. The front of the shop was _extremely_ misleading. There were shelves all the way to the ceiling and they went from one side of the room to the other. There must have been a good thousand or so books, and Cas didn’t know if he’d ever seen so many in one place before.

Dean must have noticed the look on Cas’ face because he started chuckling.  
“I told you you could have whatever you wanted here, so, would you like to look around?” Dean smiled down at Cas, who could only nod, as he got over the shock of the abundant amount of books.

They spent the next few hours going around the store picking up random books. They picked up books that were old, new, torn and completely damaged. they took turns reading random passages out of books and laughing at some of the more awkward books. When they each had ten books they decided that was enough.

“We should let Mrs. Mills know what we’re taking,” Dean said with an armful of books.  
“Alright,” Cas agreed as the took the books up to the front counter.  
“Mrs. Mills?” Dean questioned. “We’re taking some books, don’t worry, we left some for you,”  
“Alright, don’t stay away too long! If you wait that long to come again, I might not be around anymore. You know I’m no spring chicken, Dean.”  
“Of course you are! You’re getting younger by that day!” Cas and Dean laughed.

After thanking Mrs. Mills for the books, the started walking out with them.  
“I forgot your car is a few blocks away,” Dean admitted, struggling with the books.  
“Want me to carry som-”  
“No, no. It’s fine.”  
“Oh. ok,” Cas smirked as he watched Dean position to books in his arms.

Once they reached Cas’ car, Dean dropped the books almost immediately.  
“Well there’s my workout for the month,” Dean joked.  
“Thanks. For the books,” Cas smiled.  
“Of course. I uh, had a really good time this morning,” Dean replied.  
“Yeah, yeah me too.”

Dean put his hands in his pockets, not knowing what to say or do.  
“Well, um, I should probably get back to the coffee shop. I had Jo watch my laptop, which was probably the worst idea I could have had,”  
“I should get going too I guess, my brother and sister went out, but they’re most likely home and wondering where I am,” Cas said as he rubbed the back of his neck.  
“Will you come into the coffee shop again?” Dean was hoping for a yes. He was hoping that this morning had gotten rid of any of the awkwardness.  
“Well, do...you want me too? I mean, if you’re not too busy with your book...”  
“Cas?” Dean stepped a bit closer to him. “Would you like to have coffee with me tomorrow morning?” Dean smiled.  
Cas blushed, knowing he wanted to say ‘yes of course!’ But the words just wouldn’t come out. Instead, he nodded then looked down, not trusting his voice.  
“Great...I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Dean backed up, gave Cas one final smile and started walking towards to coffee shop.

Cas stood there for a moment so he could regain his thoughts. He wasn’t sure he could actually believe this, and was sure he’d wake from his great dream any second now. But no, he just stood there, not waking up, not moving, just smiling like an idiot on the sidewalk.

_Is that a date? I think that’s a date... Castiel! You’ve got a real date! WIth Dean!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy! While writing this chapter, I listened to a little song called 'Big Jet Plane' by Angus and Julia Stone (It just seemed to fit the book store scene. I kind of imagined it playing in the background). I also got inspired by MS MR, not that anyone cares. My tumblr is tumblr.carryonmywaywardnugget.com if anyone cares about that either. Thanks for the comments and kudos!


	6. The Confession

“Where the hell have you been?!” Anna came right out of the kitchen and into the living room right into Cas’ face.  
“Why do you care?” Cas mocked.  
“Because you’ve been gone since eight this morning. Because it’s afternoon. Because it doesn’t take _hours_ to get coffee!”  
“You and Gabe went out!” Cas retorted.  
“We left a note! We told you we were going to be gone! We had no idea where you were!”  
“You wanna know where I was?”  
“Why do you think I’ve been yelling?”  
“I was at the bookstore.”  
“Where are the books?” She asked as she stood there with her arms crossed.  
“In my trunk. I’ve got like...twenty or so.”  
“You bought _twenty_ books?” She said with disbelief.  
“Nope,” Cas responded with a smug smile.  
“You... _stole_ twenty books?” Anna guessed.  
“No, someone gave them to me.”  
“Alright. Who?”  
“His name’s Dean,” Cas said.  
“So this random guy...named Dean...just _gave_ you twenty books?”  
“He’s not really random, I mean, I’ve talked to him before.”  
Anna thought for a minute.  
“Where have you talked to him?”  
“At the coffee shop,” Cas said in an almost whisper.

It didn’t take Anna long after that to figure it out.

“Oh my God.”  
“What?” Cas questioned.  
“That’s why you’ve been getting up so early! So you can see him at the coffee shop! Am I right?”  
“Yeah...you’re right,” Cas began smiling.  
“Castiel! Why didn’t you tell us?” She hit his arm playfully and laughed.  
“Because I’ve only talked to him once before today and I made an idiot out of myself,” Cas looked down as he spoke.  
“Oh, I couldn’t have been that bad,” she replied.  
“I told him I wasn’t a stalker,” Cas said soberly.  
“Oh...yeah that’s bad.”  
“Tell me about it,” Cas said as he finally walked over to the couch and sat down.  
“Well, today was good right? You guys spent the morning together...” Anna said as she followed Cas.  
“Yeah, and...”  
“And what?”  
“Well, tomorrow we might be having coffee together too,” Cas got a small smile on his face.  
“Castiel!” Anna practically jumped out of her skin. “I’m so happy for you! I mean you look...smitten!” She laughed.  
“I-I don’t know. Maybe I am,” he blushed and smiled. “Now, uh. Would you help me with my books?” He asked as he got up.  
“Of course.”

↭↭↭↭↭

“You’re lucky, Winchester,” Jo claimed as Dean walked into the shop.  
“And why is that, Ms. Harvelle?” Dean asked smugly.  
“Because I feel like shit. I called Meg in to cover for me so I can go home early. She’ll be here any minute.”  
“Huh, then yeah I guess I am. I mean, I hardly trust you with my laptop, but Meg? Not a snowball’s chance I trust her with it,” Dean said shoving his hands in his pockets.  
“Wow, I really feel the love,” She replied with a blank expression.  
“Yeah, speaking of, can I have it back?”  
Jo took it from behind the counter and handed it to him.  
“Oh hey Jo, I forgot to tell you something,”  
“Well, jeez at least you weren’t vague,” she said rolling her eyes. “What is it?”  
“I uh, might have a date tomorrow,” Dean said casually.

Jo might have been sick but that didn’t stop her from jumping a few feet in the air and clapping her hands.

“Go Winchester! Wait, hot guy right?”  
“His name is Castiel, but yeah, hot guy,” Dean laughed.  
“Oh my God! So, where are you guys going?”  
“Well, actually we thought we would just have coffee here. It’s not big deal,” he assured her.  
“Of course it’s a big deal! Oh, I hope I feel better so I can be here to serve you guys.”  
“Oh yeah, that’d be a real joy,” he muttered sarcastically.  
“Whatever,” she said as she looked around Dean and noticed Meg walking in. “Well, I’m goin’ home. If I’m not in tomorrow, will you let me live vicariously through you?”  
“Of course,” he chuckled and patted her arm as she began to walk out. “Go sleep, get better.”  
“Thanks, Dean,” she said as she pushed through the door.

  
“Afternoon, princess,” Meg greeted.  
“Afternoon, bitch.”  
“Not so friendly today are we?”  
“Only because you’re here,” he replied.  
She just rolled her eyes and walked behind the counter.

“Well this little greeting has been fun, but I’m heading out. See you later Meg.”  
“Hopefully not,” she mumbled as Dean walked out.

↭↭↭↭↭

Den decided to take the rest of the day off. He thought today he’d walk around some more, and then maybe go home and catch up on his sleep.  
He walked a bit south, where most of the newer shops were. There was a bakery, a few shoe stores, a restaurant, and a hardware store that had all been put in within the last year and a half. He’d yet to check out the restaurant, so he headed there first.

Once he paid the waitress for the best burger he’d had in a while, he stopped by the bakery, thinking he’d get a pie to take home with him. After waiting in line for 10 minutes and getting his pie, he started heading home. From here, it would take about twenty minutes to walk home, but he always enjoyed the fresh air. Plus, now that the weather was beginning to change, the cool autumn breeze was welcomed.

As he walked, he noticed some of the older shops starting to close down. Dean was a little troubled seeing this, because those shops had been around his whole life. He remembered how him and Sammy would sometimes go to the old 50’s themed diner when they were little so they could get root beer floats in the summer, and how Sam loved the jukebox in the corner and always asked Dean for a quarter so he could play an Elvis song or two.

Sam would probably be upset at seeing that the diner was now closed, but then again, Sam didn’t come into town much anymore now that he had school, work and a girlfriend. He realized as he made his way home how much he missed seeing his little brother and made a mental note to call him sometime soon so they could meet up and he could finally meet Jess in person.

He made it home soon after walking past the diner and put his laptop and pie on the counter. Although Dean was almost always in the mood for pie, he had other plans at the moment. He sat at the island in the middle of the kitchen and pulled his laptop over to him. While he was walking, he had and idea that might fit well with his characters. He opened microsoft word and read over what he had written as far as character summaries go:

 

Adam Wesson: A 24 year old graduate who had moved back home to Rodanthe in the hopes of finding love. He’s working on his new movie project and spends most of his days in the local library wishing inspiration would walk through the doors. He has one brother, who moved away from home at a young age and hasn’t been back since. His mother and father are both deceased so, (for now) he is truly alone in the world. He’s usually quiet and has 1 friend-Pamela- the barista who works at the coffee shop and is snarky, cocky, and loud, but loyal.

 

Andrew Smith: 26 years old, he’s just moved into the small town of Rodanthe NC. He’s incredibly shy and quiet. Also a bit clumsy.

 

Dean noticed how he didn’t have much to say about “Andrew,” but he could add a few things, like the fact that he had one brother and one sister, and that he was a lover of coffee and books.  
He felt kind of weird making Castiel into one of his characters, but after talking to him for the first time, he couldn’t resist.

With at least a basic summarization of his two main characters, he got ready to work on his plot. He wanted to keep it simple, so he could get the book done faster, and he figured he could make this book an easy 200 pages. If all went well, and he could get more information about Castiel, he’d have this book done in about 3 months.

He worked on his plot and the beginning for about an hour before taking a break and getting some pie. He was making good progress and knew Jo and Sam would be happy, maybe even proud. He looked at the clock and saw that it was already close to 7 ‘o'clock. He was tired and know he needed to get some sleep, but was so tempted to get started on the beginning.

After putting his plate in the sink, he walked over to his laptop and closed it, thinking he had plenty (if not too much) of time to work on his book. Right now though, he needed to get some sleep so he wouldn’t fall asleep the next morning while he was on his date with Cas.

Dean was nervous about the ‘date’ if he was being honest. Sure, they’d gone out together today, but tomorrow it would be a bit more official. Tomorrow was an _actual date_. He was going to be sitting with Castiel, for who knew how long, and it would most likely just be the two of them, since there wasn’t usually people there that early. Now, he was kind of hoping Jo _did_ show up, in case things got awkward. Oh well. All he could do was hope things went better than they did the first time they talked.  
He padded into his bedroom and changed out of his clothes, leaving on just his boxers as he went to grab an old t-shirt to wear. As he put one on and crawled into bed, he couldn’t get the piercing blue eyes out of his head.

↭↭↭↭↭

Castiel woke up late the next morning. Although he’d set his alarm clock, he had apparently slept through it. When he picked up his phone, the time read 8:36.

_He’s gonna think I chickened out! Crap crap crap._

His thoughts raced to catch up to his body as he shot out of bed and into the bathroom, grabbing a pair of jeans on the way. He brushed his teeth, while trying to put on his pants at the same time, which resulted in him falling flat on his face with a loud thump.

Anna had run up to the door after hearing the alarming noise and called out to Castiel.

“Cas! Are you alright?”  
“Fine, Anna. I just kind of fell. Not big deal,” he promised as he got up and rinsed his mouth. He could hear her walk back down stairs most likely to tell Gabriel that they had a dumbass for a brother.

Only after he was done with that, did he put on his pants. He ran his fingers through his hair a few times as he went back into his bedroom trying to tame it, but had no luck. He hurriedly picked up shirt after shirt, trying to find one that looked decent enough. After a minute of searching, he found a long sleeved black shirt that would have to do. He put on his shoes and a light jacket and bolted down the stairs after grabbing his phone.

“What’s the rush?” Gabe asked after seeing Cas almost fall again from running down the steps so fast.  
“He’s got a date,” Anna said in a singsong voice.  
“Ooooh. Who’s the lucky guy?” Gabe questioned.  
“Name’s Dean,” Anna replied as Cas stood their impatiently.  
“Yeah yeah, Dean. Now, where are the car keys? I need to go, I’m already late,” Cas huffed.  
“On the table,” Gabe said as he spread out on the couch.  
Cas ran and grabbed them.  
“Thanks,” he muttered as he practically ran out to the car.

“Oh he likes this guy,” Gabe said once Cas was out of the house.  
“No kidding. You should have seen the look on his face when he told me he had a date with him,” Anna replied, pulling her knees to her chest as she spoke. “I’m happy for him. I hope this Dean guy is nice. Especially with us just moving her and all, maybe this is what Cas needs.”  
“I think you’re right. Maybe Dean can help take that permanent stick out of Cas’ ass,” Gabe chuckled.  
“Gabe,” Anna scolded.  
“What? You know how uptight he can be. And you know how he has a hard time talking to people. I’m actually surprised he managed to meet someone so fast. And here I am, sitting on the couch talking to my sister. How does that happen?”  
Anna smirked. “You could always go out and meet someone, there’s nothing stopping you.”  
“I know, but I’d like to get situated first. Once I’m used to this place, maybe then I’ll use my charm on this city,” Gabe said as he wiggled his eyebrows.  
“Oh yeah, I should probably warn the city then huh?” She laughed.  
“Say what you want sis. Whoever gets this fine work of art is lucky,” Gabe stated as he gestured to his whole body.  
“Whatever Gabe. Right now though, can we just be happy for Cas? After not talking to anyone but us for six months, it’s good that he’s getting out. This Dean is a godsend.”

↭↭↭↭↭

Dean sat at his regular table looking at the door whenever it opened. He had been here since eight and was starting to feel like he was being stood up. Although he comes here every day by himself, today he didn’t have his laptop, so he couldn’t look like he was busy. He looked at his watch one more time and saw that it was quarter to 9. He wanted this morning to be fun. He thought that after coffee, he’d and Cas could walk around some more. However, that was kind of hard to do considering he hadn’t even shown up yet.

And to make matters worse, besides the occasional customer, he was alone in the shop except for the barista Ruby, who was more of a bitch than Meg. She was always criticising Dean and one time he even saw her spit in someone’s drink. He had really wished Jo was here, so he wouldn’t be sitting here in an awkward silence, but Dean hadn’t ever had the best of luck.

He was about to get up and leave, so he could save what was left of his pride when he saw that mop of black hair come through the door.

“Dean, I’m sorry I’m late,” he explained while catching his breath.  
“No problem, I just... why are you so out of breath?” He couldn’t help but ask as Cas sat down across from Dean.  
“There weren’t any parking spots open nearby. I had to park a block and a half away and I ran here after parking."  
At hearing this, Dean couldn’t resist laughing, which just made the man in front of him blush.  
“Cas, that’s alright, don’t worry about it. What, did you wake up late or somethin’?”  
“Yeah, I slept right through my alarm, so when I woke up I rushed, which made me fall on my face and then I almost fell down the stairs and-” Cas stopped when he noticed Dean was trying to stop himself from laughing.  
“What’s so funny?” Cas asked.  
“Nothing Cas. It’s just...”

_oh fuck, just say it. Forget the fact that you’re gonna sound like a chick._

“You’re kind of adorable.”  
That made Cas turn completely red, which only encouraged Dean’s laughing.  
“I am not adorable,” Cas retorted, but couldn’t keep a straight face so he just ended up sounding and looking like and irritated bunny.  
“It’s ok, I won’t tell anyone how cute you are,” Dean promised, still chuckling. “Hey, you wanna get a coffee? I’ll buy,” Dean said as his laughter died down and he got up to go to the counter.  
“Um, sure,” Cas responded.

After ordering simple coffees, they headed back to their seats quietly sipped their drinks.  
“So, Cas. I wanted to ask you, what brought you and your brother and sister to Lawrence?”  
Cas paled a bit at the question and looked down at his coffee. His father’s death wasn’t really an area he wanted to talk about so he just came up with the best believable answer he could.  
“Well, we just needed a fresh start. Especially me, but I’d rather not talk about that right now,” Cas said quietly.  
“Oh, ok. No problem,” Dean assured him.  
“So, what about you? You’ve lived here your entire life right? Why stay?” Cas asked as he took a drink of coffee.  
“Well,” Dean said as he sat up. He wasn’t sure he wanted to delve into this conversation either, but there wasn’t an excuse he could think of fast enough, and maybe this would be the first time he could take a leap of faith in trusting someone with this story other than Sam. “I love this little town. I grew up here, with my mom, dad, and my brother. I was happy, and kind of carefree.” Dean fumbled with his cup for a bit before continuing. “Then, one day, I went to a party at a friend’s house. I had gotten drunk and one of my friends called my dad to come pick me up. Well, my mom insisted on coming too, because she couldn’t wait until I got home to give me an earful. When they got close to the house, they got hit by a drunk driver who was leaving the party. They...both died on impact.” Dean had started to tear up, but felt like he needed to get his whole story out. “My brother Sam blamed me for their deaths and moved away shortly after. Hell, even _I_ blamed me. So, he told me to never call him again. It took years until we started talking, but I think he still thinks about it from time to time. But, while he left, I stayed. I needed to. I had to hold onto their memory, and what better way to do that than by staying in the town they lived in their whole lives?” Dean was looking down at his cup while he talked, but Cas just stared at him with wide eyes.

_Who would’ve thought? You’re parents die, and you run away as fast as you can. His die and he stays to keep their memory intact. Bet you feel like an ass now, right?_

“Wow, Dean. I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t have asked if-”  
“It’s alright, Cas,” Dean said as he wiped his face. “It’s about time I told someone. Nobody knew what really happened except for Sam and me. Everyone else always thought it was a freak accident.”  
“Well, thank you for telling me,” Cas said as he reached over and put his hand over Dean’s. “Really, thank you for trusting me with that.”

_Tell him why you’re here. He trusted you with this, that least you could do is tell him the truth._

So Cas told him. He told Dean how his mother had also died, and then how his dad had become something of an alcoholic and a terrible father. Then he told him how his dad had gotten into a car crash and died too. And how Cas couldn’t take being in that city anymore, how he just had to get out of there. He was angry, and moved as fast as he could. The whole time, Dean listened just as attentively as Cas had. Once he was done, they sat in silence. It was almost as if they were afraid to speak. But, after a few minutes, Dean finally spoke.

“Cas, I-I’m sorry. And I...hope you can be happy in the city,” he almost whispered it.  
“Thank you, Dean.”  
They locked eyes for a moment before Dean continued.  
“Would you like to take a walk?” He asked with a small smile.  
“Yes. I think I’d like to. I think I need some fresh air,” he said with a smile back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So nobody's confused: This story is set in Lawrence, Kansas, but Dean's book is set in Rodanthe NC. In Dean's book, Adam is Dean, Andrew is Cas, and Pamela is Jo. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope to start making the chapters longer.


	7. The Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Supernatural, Ronald McDonald, or The Ring. ;)

“I need a job,” Anna muttered from her seat on the large chair in their living room after sitting in silence for a few moments.  
“Why? Dad left millions, we have enough money for a lifetime and then some. Kind of makes me wonder why Cas moved us _here_ of all places,” Gabe responded.  
“Well, he said he wanted a small town to be in. He didn’t want the big city scene, and you knew that. You had the chance to move out on your own if you wanted.”  
“I couldn’t leave you two after what happened. It was too soon. It still is,” Gabe said as he looked down.  
“Gabe, Cas and I would have managed. Hell, if you left I probably would have too. We’re all grown, and just because Cas is the oldest doesn’t mean we can’t make our own decisions.”  
“I know, but I think he would have thought everyone was leaving him. I couldn’t do that to him.”  
“You know he would have understood,” Anna replied warily.  
“Maybe, but I’m here now, and this is where I’ll stay for now,” Gabe shifted on the couch before continuing. “So, why do you want a job if not for money?”  
“Just something to do. I’m not sure I’ll want to stay here everyday and do nothing. I mean Cas has already been out everyday so far, but here we’ve sat.”  
“Well, I saw some new shops opening up when we walked yesterday, you could probably find a job somewhere.”  
“Yeah, maybe,” Anna replied as she went into the kitchen.

↭↭↭↭↭

“So Cas, tell me some things about you,” Dean prompted as they walked out of the shop and into the cool air of the morning.  
“What do you want to know?” Cas asked with a shy smile on his lips.  
“Well, I know now why you’ve moved here, and I know you’re incredibly shy,” Dean looked down as he said that to see a pink tinge appear on Cas’ face. “And I know you’re not the greatest when it comes to talking to people, so tell me somthing I don’t know,” Dean chuckled.  
“Alright. Well, my favorite color is green, I’m the oldest child of three, The song ‘You Are my Sunshine’ used to make me cry when I was little, I prefer tea to coffee, and when I was younger I wanted to be a teacher,” Cas finished proudly.  
“Wow, ‘You Are my Sunshine’ huh?” Dean smiled.  
“Everything I told you, and that’s what you choose to hear?” Cas laughed.  
“Oh no, I heard everything. I just find that one fact the most amusing,” Dean said trying to hold back a laugh.  
“Whatever,” Cas huffed. “So what about you? What don’t I know about you, Winchester?”  
“Okay, I am an almost published author, I love children, I live by myself, Jo is probably my only friend here and I used to be afraid of Ronald McDonald,” Dean shoved his hands in his pockets, thinking that if Cas was man enough to share one piece of embarrassing information, so was he.

Cas burst out laughing in the middle of the sidewalk, which caused a few people passing by to give him an odd look.  
“Seriously? Ronald McDonald? I thought my secret was bad,” Cas joked as he caught his breath.  
“Yeah, well-” Dean couldn’t think of a comeback so he left it there as they continued to walk.  
“Hey...Jo’s not your only friend,” Cas said sheepishly as he looked down to his feet.  
“You’re right,” Dean agreed after thinking about it. “She’s not.”

“Ok so, where are we headed today?” Cas asked after a moment of comfortable silence.  
“Since it’s still early, I thought we could go get breakfast. The diner down the street has good food.”  
“Perfect,” Cas said.

When they reached the diner, they were greeted by one of the friendlier waitresses named Charlie. Dean came here so often, she knew him by name and always greeted him with an enthusiastic smile.

“Morning Dean! And-” she stopped, getting caught off guard by the newcomer.  
“Uh, Castiel,” Cas whispered.  
“And good morning Castiel,” she finished as she led them to a booth in front of the large window that overlooked the rest of the town.  
“Does everyone in town know who you are?” Cas asked with a small laugh as they sat.  
“Not _everyone_ , but a lot of people, yes. Especially here, I come here almost everyday. This is where I get the majority of my meals,” Dean replied as he looked at the menu Charlie had handed them.  
“You don’t cook?” Cas almost seemed offended by the fact that Dean rarely ate at home.  
“Not really. I can microwave things, but that’s as far as my skills go.”  
“Well, I’ll just have to come over and cook for you one day huh?” Cas mocked as he put down his menu.  
Dean laughed at Cas’ demand, but agreed anyway.  
“I guess you will.”

“So, what can I get you boys?” Charlie came over a minute later to take their orders.  
“The special, side of pig and a coffee,” Dean requested.  
“Uh, the same,” Cas said.  
“Alright, be back with your coffee in a minute,” she said as she turned on her heels and walked back to the counter with a slight bounce in her step.

The two talked for fifteen minutes while they waited for their breakfast to come. They talked about their family, and how Dean couldn’t be more proud of Sam and how Cas wasn’t sure if Gabriel had even wanted to come with him and Anna when they moved. They talked about their favorite things and shared more embarrassing facts about themselves, like how Dean used to be scared of dolls, because he was convinced they had cold dead eyes that followed him wherever he went. And Cas shared that Gabriel used to dress as that weird chick from ‘The Ring’ just because it made Cas shriek like a girl. They were laughing when Charlie came up to their table with their food.

“Hey, Dean? Can I talk to you for a second? It’s nothing bad, I swear,” she asked once she put the food down.  
“Uh, yeah,” Dean said as he shot a quick glance at Cas who looked a bit worried.

“So, who’s that guy? You never come with someone. You also never come in the morning either. Is something wrong?” Charlie questioned once they were out of earshot from Cas.  
“Oh, Cas? Well he’s new in town, and we’re kind of... on a date. I like him and he actually agreed to come out with me. I mean, he’s a bit shy and quiet, but he’s really nice and-”  
“Alright, I get it. I was just surprised is all. And he does look, rather...dreamy,” she said in a singing tone.  
“Hey, hands off,” Dean joked, although he knew Cas wasn’t exactly Charlie’s type.  
“No need to worry about me, you know he’s not my type” she replied as if she read Dean’s mind. “Now go get back to him before he starts thinking I’m into you,” she chuckled as she pushed Dean on the shoulder.

“Everything alright?” Cas asked after Dean sat back down.  
“Yeah, she was just worried because I never come here during the morning and I also never come with anyone,” Dean assured his as he began eating.  
“You don’t? You always come alone?” Cas had a sad tone in his voice as he asked.  
“Well...yeah. I mean you and Jo are my only friends, and Jo is always working. And In the morning I’m always at the coffee shop.”  
“Oh, didn’t you ever get, I don’t know, lonely?”  
Dean didn’t respond right away, but Cas could tell that yes in fact, Dean _did_ get lonely. He felt a twinge of sadness spike through him as he looked at Dean’s almost cheerless face. At least he had Anna and Gabe, but after Sam took off, he knew Dean was alone. He reached over and put his hand over Dean’s, trying to tell him everything he was thinking without actually speaking.

“Yeah. I did get lonely,” Dean said with a troubled look in his eye.

↭↭↭↭↭

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, only making occasional comments here and there about the meal, and left once Dean paid Charlie. They walked outside as Cas looked at his watch and saw that it was close to eleven o’clock. Cas could have spent the rest of the day with Dean, but he wasn’t sure if Dean was busy.

“You wanna go to the park?” Dean asked as he looked over at Cas.  
“I’d like that, yes,” Cas agreed.  
Without warning, Dean took Cas’ hand in his and led them to the old park that was just a few blocks down.

↭↭↭↭↭

“Hey, here’s something,” Anna said holding the newspaper up as she read. She was determined to find a new job, even if it was something part time.  
“What is it?” Gabe asked from the living room.  
“Help wanted at a new diner. I could check it out?” Anna asked more to herself than Gabe.  
“Sure, hey, while you’re looking, find something for me, huh?”  
“Well, there’s an opening at this candy shop? You like candy right?” she questioned as she peeked into the other room to see Gabe’s reaction.  
“Yeah, I do. Where’s it at?”  
“Down the street, it’s not too far. Hey, if you come to the diner with me, I’ll go to the shop with you,” Anna bargained.  
“Deal, we’ll go in a few,” Gabe agreed as he and Anna both went into their rooms to change and make themselves look presentable.

↭↭↭↭↭

“You’re strange, Cas,” Dean blurted as they got sat on the park bench.  
“Wow, tell me how you really feel,” Cas chuckled.  
“No no no, not like that. I just mean that, well, no one has ever actually come up to me like you did. I’ve been here my whole life, and I’ve always just sat by myself wherever I went. Unless I was with Sam of course. But no, you...you just came up and said ‘hi’ like it was nothing. I just thought that was strange. Of course I’m glad you did it, it just threw me off at first.”  
“Really? I mean I know you said Jo was your only friend, but no one even ever came up just to say hi? That seems kinda petty.”  
“I was fine by myself, for the most part anyway. I remember going home and just feeling like I had nobody. Everyday felt like routine, like I was only waking up just so my schedule didn’t get ruined. So...I have to thank you Castiel. Honestly, I was thinking of quitting the book. I was gonna go visit Sam for a while, and I was thinking about moving somewhere else, and getting a new start, but you just had perfect timing I guess,” Dean smiled as he looked down at their intertwined fingers.  
“Huh, yeah it is a good thing I showed up when I did then, otherwise, we never would have met. You could have been somewhere on the other side of the world, and I would have been in this little old town all by myself,” Cas frowned at the thought, but tried not to dwell on it too much.

They sat together and just watched the people who were walking, running, or playing with their dogs or children. Cas felt like this town could be his home. He felt comfortable next to Dean and he could have sat there all day with him. However, it started getting a little too cold for Cas and Dean noticed him starting to shiver. He suggested that they call it a day and that they could meet up the next morning for coffee. Cas agreed and promised not to be late this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot shorter than I wanted, but oh well, the next will be longer. Thanks for the comments, and thank you Natalie who tries to convince me all the time that I'm not a crap writer, this wouldn't be here if not for you! And sorry for making Dean really depressing this chapter, he'll be happier from now on, well, for the most part.


	8. The Break Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There's a LOT of swearing towards the end of this. I wanted to wait another day to put up this chapter, but it just turned out so good, and I couldn't resist making you amazing people wait. And sorry for any spelling errors.

Gabe and Anna reached the diner just as Dean and Cas were leaving. However, with them going in different directions, they didn’t run into each other.  
“I hope the boss likes me,” Anna whispered as they walked in.  
“And if not, there are more jobs in this city, and it’s not like you need one _today_ ,” Gabe responded.  
“True, but I think it’d be neat to work in an old school diner.”  
“You’ll just have to be super charming then huh?” Gabe chuckled.  
“Yeah- oh shush here he comes,” Anna said, elbowing Gabe as a man approached them.

“Buenos dias! How can I help you fine people today?” The man greeted.  
“Oh, I was hoping to talk to the boss about the open position?” Anna said.  
“Ah, well, I’m not the boss, but my name’s Ash. Lemme take you to the matriarch around here,” Ash said as he gestured to Anna to follow him. “Boss lady is pretty cool, but uh, fiery. I wouldn’t get on her bad side. Right through them doors,” Ash finished as he opened two big swinging doors to the back of the restaurant.

“Hello, and you are?” The woman asked from behind her desk.  
“Yes, I’m Anna Novak, I’m here to apply for the waitress job?”  
“Oh, yes, sit. My name’s Charlie. Nice to meet you,” Charlie greeted with her trademark flirty smile.

Twenty minutes later, Anna walked out of the back doors to see Gabe sitting at one of the booths shoving pancakes in his mouth. She went up to him, forcing down her smile to try and add some suspense. Unfortunately, Gabe could see right through that.

“You got the job!?” He exclaimed with a mouth full of food.  
“Yeah!” She confirmed as she did a little jump.  
“Great! Good for you!” He chimed as he got up from his seat to give Anna a hug.  
“I know! But now,” Anna said as she poked Gabe’s chest, “we need to head to that candy shop and see if we can’t get you a job too,” Anna replied.  
“Fine, just lemme finish my pancakes,” Gabriel said with a huff.

They headed to the Candy shop down the road about ten minutes later, after Gabe finished his food and Anna once again thanked Charlie for the job. As much as Gabe hated having to work, he loved candy. So you could say that (to Gabe), getting this job was a little bittersweet.

“You’ll be fine, just do what I did,” Anna said as they reached the little store.  
“Oh? And what exactly did you do?” Gabe asked with annoyance in his voice.  
“I agreed to go out on a date with her,” Anna said smugly.  
Gabe stood in shock for a moment as he let this news sink in.  
“You like chicks!? Since when?” Gabe finally spat out.  
“Well, actually, I’ve never dated a girl before. But my whole brain just went ‘what the hell’?”  
“So if the boss just happens to ask me out, I say yes?” Gabe laughed.  
“If you want that job you do.” Anna winked.  
“Alright, wish me luck,” Gabe said as he walked through the doors.

Anna didn’t have to wait long, as Gabriel was quite literally in and out of the store.  
“So?” She asked.  
“I walked in and the boss was standing right there. He asked me if I wanted a job, I said yes, I told him my name, he told me his and I start tomorrow and 9.” Gabe said proudly.  
“Wow, that went better than I thought it would,” Anna said as the two began walking home. “So, what’s the guy’s name?” She questioned.  
“Balthazar. I think he’s british.”  
“Oooh, fancy.” Anna replied. “Well, it looks like all three of us will be seeing a lot less of each other. We have jobs, and Cas has Dean, so who knows now when we’ll even talk,” Anna said with a bit of sadness in her voice.  
“Aww, does wittle Anna wanna have famiwy fun time?” Gabe mocked her.  
“Shut up, Gabe,” She demanded as she glared at him. “I’m serious. The three of us have been together all our lives, but now we’re splitting up.”  
“We’re not _splitting_ up Anna, we’re _growing_ up,” Gabe corrected.  
“Yeah...I guess we are,” Anna finally agreed.

↭↭↭↭↭

Dean walked through his door, ready to write. He’d learned a lot more about Cas and hoped he could incorporate it in his character “Andrew.” He hoped that once his book was finished he could show it to Cas. He also hoped that Cas would love it, considering he was the reason he was writing this to begin with.

As he sat down on the couch in his living room, he opened his laptop. He was able to fix the beginning a bit, now that he could add some new information to his character. He was proud of how it was coming along, and the longer he wrote that day, the more he felt like this book would be done in no time.

When he looked at the clock, it told him that it was six o’clock. He was hungry, and his eyes hurt from staring at the screen for so many hours. He got up and headed towards the kitchen, not knowing what he would microwave for dinner that night. He kind of wished that Cas were there so he could make something for him, or that they could go out for dinner, but knew he didn’t have Cas’ number or address, so he settled on the leftover spaghetti.

After eating and taking an aspirin, he walked back to his laptop. He got the first three chapters done and before he knew it, the clock read 2:46. He set his computer down and rubbed his eyes. They were sore again, so this time he decided to head to bed. Plus, he didn’t want to wake up late in the morning when he went to the coffee shop.

↭↭↭↭↭

Cas’ day was uneventful as he wandered around his home waiting for his siblings to get home. He was secretly ecstatic that he got to bitch out Anna for not leaving a note or letting him know they were going out, since she had done the exact same thing to him two days before. He paced in the living room, debating on what he would say as the pair walked through the door.

“Oh, you two just decide to leave? Without leaving a note?” Cas hissed at Anna with false anger.  
“Oh, don’t play that game with me Castiel. We were out for a good reason,” Anna replied as she looked at Gabe before continuing. “We got jobs!” She practically screamed at him  
“What? How?” Cas asked in disbelief.  
“I looked for some jobs in the paper, there were a few places needing help, so we went. I’m now a waitress at an old diner down the street and Gabe works at the town’s only candy shop,” Anna said as she smiled.  
“Oh, wow. Well, congratulations,” Cas said in a monotone voice as he walked over to the couch and sat.  
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happy. I mean, you’ll probably getting to know Dean, so I figured you wouldn’t miss us too much Cassie,” Gabe finally spoke.  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I do hope we talk more,” Cas nodded.  
“So, speaking of,” Anna said as she walked over to the chair she sat in this morning, “how’d your date go?”  
“It was really nice, despite the fact that I was late. We got breakfast and we went to the park. He told me some things that seemed really personal, but I mean I’m glad he shared that with me. I really like him guys,” he said to both Gabe and Anna. “He’s really nice,” he added.  
“Aw, I’m glad you like him,” Anna said as she patted Cas’ knee.  
“Yeah, me too bro. You need someone,” Gabe agreed.

↭↭↭↭↭

The next morning, both Dean and Castiel got up on time (even though Dean woke up cursing alarm clocks after getting only 5-ish hours of sleep). They met at the coffee shop to be greeted by Jo, who looked more than thrilled to see them sitting together. They sat for a few hours and talked about many things, such as Gabe and Anna’s new jobs. Cas complained that he would hardly see them anymore, to which Dean said that just meant that they would be spending more together. Dean had finally asked for Cas’ phone number and Cas gave it without hesitation. They left just after noon, but not before making plans to go out to dinner that night.

↭↭↭↭↭

 

Dinner went amazing for the two. Dean had taken them to a “posh douchebag magnet” as Dean liked to call it and made them order the most foreign sounding dish on the menu. They laughed when the food came back and it was nothing they thought it'd be. In fact, Cas ended up ordering grilled snail, but Dean simply pushed his order (baked perch) in the middle of the table so they could share. When they were done eating they walked to Dean’s car so he could take Cas home. After pulling up to Cas’ house and walking him to the door, Dean pressed a quick kiss to Cas’ lips before pulling back and turning a bright pink. Dean could see that Cas too was pink, which helped his embarrassment a bit. He whispered an apology and started heading to his car when Cas caught up with him. He turned Dean around and gave him a proper kiss, which lasted a good thirty seconds and left both men speechless when Cas pulled away for air. Dean stood in shock for a minute as Castiel told him goodnight and headed inside. His body finally caught up to his mind and he made his way into his car and headed home with a smile on his face.

↭↭↭↭↭

The next few months passed in a blur, and it seemed that no one could keep up with time. Cas and Dean had met every morning at the coffee shop. They often held hands wherever they walked, which was usually either the diner, park or the old bookstore. Cas had been over to Dean many times now, and usually made them dinner. They would eat on the couch, and watch a movie after or (if Dean complained that the movie was just too boring) they would make out, which turned pretty heated a few times, but Cas still wasn’t _quite_ ready for _that._ Although if he was being honest, he _was_ falling for Dean. With them spending so much time together, it would have been hard for Cas _not_ to fall for him. Dean felt the same too. He loved being around Cas, and usually caught himself thinking about him if they weren’t together. They were slowly but surely falling in love.

Dean had gotten extremely far in his book, and predicted that within the next month he would have it completely done. Cas was always asking questions about the book, but Dean spoiled nothing, but promised he would be the first to read it when it was finished.

Gabe and Anna were more than happy with their jobs and even Gabe often came home praising his boss and co-workers. Anna and Charlie had gone out multiple times now (much to Gabe’s surprise) and were pretty happy together.

↭↭↭↭↭

Then came the morning everything went downhill, as it always does. Dean and Cas had been sitting in the coffee shop like they had been doing every morning. Dean sat typing away on his laptop, determined to finish his book as soon as possible, while Cast sat across from him, reading one of his twenty books, occasionally nudging Dean’s foot with his as if to say; ‘we’re not ignoring each other, even if that’s what it looks like to other people.’

Dean had been in the middle of a paragraph when his phone rang. Both him and Cas looked up, mostly in shock, because (besides Sam) the only people Dean actually talked to were in the coffee shop.

Coincidently, it was Sam’s name who showed up on the caller I.D.

“Heya Sammy, long time no-” Dean stopped when he heard a frantic Sam on the other line.  
“Calm down, what happened?” Dean asked, causing Cas to shoot him a worried look.  
“Ok, how bad? Yeah, alright. I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Dean promised as he hung up and practically jumped out of his seat.  
“Dean, what happened?” Cas asked as he began to panic a bit.  
“Sam and Jess were in a car accident. Sam’s ok, but Jess isn’t, I have to go. I’ll call when I can,” Dean assured him as he gave him a small kiss on his forehead and bolted out the shop door.

↭↭↭↭↭

Jo came up to Cas once there were no more customers in line.  
“What happened with Dean?” She asked rather quietly.  
“Sam and his girlfriend were in a car accident. Sam’s ok, but Jess isn’t,” Cas repeated the words Dean had said to him only minutes before.  
“Oh no,” Jo whispered.  
“Yeah. I should...go home,” Cas said as he stood up and grabbed his coat.  
“Well, take Dean’s laptop with you. He probably trusts you with it more than me,” she tried to joke.  
“Yeah, of course,” he said soberly as he grabbed the laptop and walked out, without saying another word.

He was glad that Sam was ok, but Dean had talked about how “Jess was the one for Sam. He would do anything for her, and it would just destroy him if anything happened to her or if she left him.” Sam was the only family Dean had, and Cas would hate to see what would happen to Sam if anything too terrible happened to Jess.

He walked through his door to find the house empty, Gabe and Anna still at work, and would most likely be gone for a while since it was still early. He took off his coat and went over to the couch with the laptop still in hand. he sat down and put the computer on the table in front of him. He ran his hands through his hair, and kept his head in his hands. He just didn’t know what to do. He wanted to help, but there was nothing he could do now that Dean was gone. He didn’t know where Sam lived exactly, but it didn’t matter because he didn’t have the car anyway.

He sat on the couch for at least 10 minutes, contemplating on going to Anna’s work and telling her what happened, when he remembered.

_He had Dean’s laptop. He had been wanting to see what Dean’s been writing since day one. Now, Dean was who-the-hell-knows-where and he was home alone. he could do it. just read one chapter. What would that hurt?_

Although Cas knew it was probably the most inappropriate time to be going through Dean’s things, he couldn’t help himself. He sat up and opened the screen a bit. In the back of his head he heard the screaming the he knew would be there, but hardly listened to it. When his laptop was completely opened, Cas noticed that Dean had no password.

_Well why would he? Everyone knew him, but he had no one that he was always around except for him and Jo. So obviously he trusts us._

The voice was back and this time just shouting at Cas.

_Exactly! He trusts you! Are you willing to ruin that? Close that damn laptop now! Walk away! Don’t do this! You know he’ll find out..._

However, against his better judgement, Cas didn’t listen. He opened Microsoft Word and saw that Dean had left his book open, not even remembering to save it before he ran out of the coffee shop.

“One little peek, right? That’s not so bad,” he convinced himself.

↭↭↭↭↭

It was two hours later and Castiel was furious. He was beyond furious. He hated Dean right now, brother in the hospital or not. After getting carried away and reading everything Dean had written, Cas had noticed a little similarity, and that pissed him off more than anyone knew.

His least favorite part had to be where Dean wrote: “He approached Adam and practically stumbled over his words. Adam could already tell this man to be a fool, but maybe that was a good thing. It couldn’t hurt to give him a chance right?”

_Dean had taken everything Cas had done and had told him and turned it into this, this fantasy world! Him and Dean were the main characters? Who the hell gave you the right Dean, to turn my horrible life into some story? He made our life a book for a lonely teenage girl! How fucking dare he!?_

Cas slapped the laptop closed and stood up, more that aggravated.

“I trusted you with this you ASSHOLE!” Cas screamed this to no one. He couldn’t wait for Dean to get home. He pulled out his phone and dialed Dean’s number, ready to scream his fucking ear off.

“Cas, hey, I told you I’d call,” Dean said into the phone.  
“You need to get your ass home as soon as fucking possible, Winchester,” Cas growled, to hell with the shy and quiet Cas that Dean knew.  
“Cas? What’s wrong?” Dean panicked.  
“I’m not doing this over the phone, get home when you can.” Cas demanded as he hung up. As much as he wanted to tear Dean a new one right at that moment, he knew he couldn’t, not with him still worrying about Sam and Jess.

↭↭↭↭↭

“Dean, what’s wrong?” Sam had seen Dean looking a bit worried as he hung up with whoever had called.  
“Oh, nothing Sammy, just Jo being stupid,” Dean lied as he forced a smile. He hadn’t told Sam about Cas, because he was scared of how Sam would react. Sam didn’t even know Dean _liked_ guys, let alone was  _dating_ one.  
“Oh, alright,” Sam looked convinced, but just barely.  
“So, how she doin’?” Dean finally asked.  
“She stable. She’ll be fine. It ended up looking worse than it actually was,” Sam confessed.  
“Good, at least she’s not too hurt, right?”  
“Right. I mean, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost her,” Sam said as he looked down at his hands.  
“Hey, don’t talk like that. She’s here, she’s fine, and right now, she needs you. I have to get back, but Sammy?”  
Sam looked up at Dean with sad eyes, making him look like a child once more.  
“Take care of her alright?” Dean asked, as he pulled Sam into a hug.  
“Yeah, of course. Thank you for coming, really, thanks.,” Sam said as he pulled away.  
“Well I wasn’t just gonna stand back and watch you suffer alone,” Dean joked.  
“I know.”  
“Alright, I’ll see you soon, ok, Sammy? Call me when she wakes up, got it?”  
“I will. Bye,” Sam said as Dean began walking out of the small hospital they were in.

↭↭↭↭↭

Dean had no idea why Cas sounded as angry as he did. As he drove, he thought about how they’d been the past couple of weeks, and everything seemed fine. Even when he left Cas this morning, although he’d been in a rush, he thought they were fine. So what could have happened between now and then that pissed Cas off so much?

↭↭↭↭↭

Cas once more paced the living room, feeling his patience wear thin. Dean should have fucking asked before he took Cas’ secrets and life and twisted and turned it. Cas sat back down and laid back. He just should have _asked_. Cas kept thinking about how to confront Dean. Because Dean had trusted him with his laptop, and he had violated that. He read the book he wasn’t supposed to. However, the more he thought, he couldn’t find himself to care, because Dean had ruined Cas’ trust too, so screw him. 

↭↭↭↭↭

Dean reached Lawrence at 4:30. After the long drive there and back, all he wanted was to curl up next to his Cas and sleep, but he knew that wasn’t an option, if the tone of Cas’ voice was anything to go by.

Dean stopped by his apartment to see if Cas was there, but had no luck. So, he headed toward to Novak’s house. When he got there, he noticed that the car was gone, but figured he could see if Cas was there anyway. Dean had to debate whether or not it was a good thing that he knocked on the door. Because even though Cas had answered, he looked infuriated beyond belief.

“Cas?” Dean had questioned after Cas let him in.  
“My name is Castiel,” he corrected as he went to get Dean’s laptop. “Or maybe my name is Andrew.” Cas hissed as he shoved the laptop in Dean’s chest.  
“You... you read it? I thought I asked you to-”  
“I don’t give a DAMN about what you asked me not to read! HOW COULD YOU!?” Cas shouted at him, making him take a step back.  
“Cas, what the hell are you talking about?” Dean asked with a shocked tone.  
“The fact the you turned my life, no, OUR life into a fucking story!” Cas walked around furiously. “I told you my whole life story!I I told and trusted you with EVERYTHING. Even my parents! And you used it for your shitty book!” Cas stopped as realization hit him. “Wait. Is that what this was? You talking to me just to get information? So you could make a character out of me?”  
“Cas! Of course not! I wanted you to be a part of my work! I made your character special!”  
“Why didn’t you even ask me if this was alright?”  
“I wanted to surprise you”  
“Well yeah, what a fucking surprise!”  
“I thought you’d like your new character.”  
“You called me a fool, Dean!”  
“You misunderstood-”  
“No. I get it. You used me. Fine. You know what? Get out of my house. And take me out of your fucking book too!” Cas bellowed.

Dean was glued in place for a moment before Cas walked toward him and pushed him out. It wasn’t until he was on the other side of the closed door that he realized what happened. He thought Cas would have loved being a part of this.

Dean slowly walked back to his car as the events still sank in. Cas hated him for this. There was no way to make it up to him, was there? Maybe...there was _one_ way, but for now, all he could do to fix this was write.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments and kudos! I had so much fun writing angry!Cas. It felt so different since he's usually all shy and what not. Oh, and sorry for the slow beginning to this chapter, but you'll see that Gabriel's job is VITAL to the end of this story. I hope you enjoyed!


	9. The British are Coming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have another little chapter because I love spoiling all of you beautiful people. This will be it for a few days now, because I hope to start a series of drabbles, maybe? But don't worry, I'll have another chapter of this up by Wednesday or Thursday.

Dean trudged through his door, not even knowing what to do with himself. He was shattered. He wanted this to be perfect, but it was all ruined. He had to fix this, and make everything better. He had a few ideas as to how to do so, but they would take time. He sat on his couch and stared at the table in front of him, where he had put his laptop. With more determination than ever, he picked up his computer and wrote.

↭↭↭↭↭

Gabe and Anna walked in at 6:30, to see a sulking Cas curled into himself on the couch.  
“Cas? What’s wrong?” Anna asked as she took off her coat and made her way over to him.  
“I broke up with Dean,” was all Cas could manage in a small voice.  
“Tell me what happened,” She demanded, sounding more like a mother than a little sister.  
“You know his book?” Cas asked as he sat up. “Well, he made me one of his characters.”  
“That’s a good thing though, right?” Gabe questioned as he joined the two.  
“He used me. He just wanted to make a character out of me. He used my whole life story for his character Andrew. He didn’t want me,” Cas growled.  
“Did you know?” Anna asked.  
“No. He would have published his book without me knowing. I had his laptop so I read it.”  
“Why did you have his laptop?” Gabe wondered.  
“Sam and Jess got into a car accident, and Dean left in a hurry, but I’m guessing they’re both fine, because Dean came home after only being there for a couple hours.”  
“Oh my God, that’s terrible,” Anna gasped.  
“Yeah, then you go and break up with him on top of that, guy must be hurting,” Gabe said mostly to himself.  
“I’m glad I did it,” Cas retorted.  
“Are you?” Anna asked with doubt.  
“...I don’t know,” He confessed. “I mean, I thought I loved him, like _really_ loved him, but then he took my whole life and made me his little puppet.”  
“What did you say?”  
“I don’t really remember. I kind of just shouted as he stood there until I pushed him out and told him to take me out of his book,” Cas stated.  
“You should talk to him, not shout, but talk,” Anna said finally.  
“I don’t know if I could look him in the eye after today,” he admitted.  
“Well, when you feel up to it, you should,” she replied.

↭↭↭↭↭

A month went by, without the two exchanging words. Dean went back to his seat at the coffee shop, but not without at argument with Jo, where she mostly just shouted obscenities in his face and told him to grow a pair and go talk to Cas. After that fight however, Jo said no more on the topic of Cas, knowing how it would hurt Dean. So, he would sit and write all day, trying to fix his book and make everything better. He got rid of the character Andrew completely and instead made the book more of an autobiography. Waking up in the morning started feeling routine again and after just a week with no Cas, he was back to being as unnoticed as an ant. He was once again all by himself and hated it. When he sat at home at night, he went through his phone and saw that he still had Cas’ number. Many times he had been tempted to call him, but felt like Cas would just shout at him again, so he would decide against it and try to sleep, although sleep came less and less now. He was lucky if he got four hours a night lately.

Little did Dean know that Cas did the same thing. He would sit in his room and read through their old messages and smile, while guilt flooded through him. He wanted to call him, but was too afraid of what he might say. Cas had still gone to the coffee shop, but took to going later in the day, when he had a feeling Dean would be gone. He stayed home most days, but couldn’t help that feeling in his chest that told him he had royally screwed things up. However, Cas knew that if he couldn’t even call Dean, there was no way he’d be able to talk to him face to face if he went into the coffee shop in the morning.

The day came where Gabriel and Anna were sick of coming home and seeing Cas sulking. They had discussed trying to get Cas to date again, and finally came up with the perfect match for their brother.

“Just one date, Cas. It’s not going to kill you!” Gabe promised.  
“I do not want to date your boss, Gabe!” Cas shouted.  
“Please. For me and Anna. We hate seeing you act like this, I mean we haven’t seen you this down since...” He left off.  
“Fine, just one date,” Cas agreed, walking right into Gabe’s guilt trap. “What’s his name?”  
“Balthazar. Trust me, you’ll like him,” Gabe said with a wink as he walked away.

If he was being honest, Cas was sick of being down too. He didn’t want to miss Dean as much as he did. But after months of constantly being together and happy, he would be lying if he said he didn’t miss him. However, he kind of hoped this Balthazar guy was as great as Gabe made him out to be. Hopefully he would be able to take Cas’ mind off of Dean.

↭↭↭↭↭ 

Cas had met Gabe’s boss at the diner him and Dean went to months before. He approached the blond haired man hesitantly, knowing that if this didn’t go well, Gabe was most likely screwed at work, and Cas would just feel even guiltier.

“Wow, he said you were pretty,” Balthazar said in a flirty tone, causing Cas to turn pink and look down. “Shy, are we?” He joked, “Well, by the end of tonight I’ll have you all opened up,” he promised with a wink as he walked into the diner after holding the door for Cas.

The date had gone swimmingly, despite the fact that Cas had gotten a weird look from Charlie, who must have known something was up. Balthazar flirted mercilessly with Cas, which had him blushing the whole date. After eating and Balthazar paying, they walked outside. Cas had shivered a bit, having to get used to the cold air after being in the warmth of the diner. The two were about to say their goodbyes when Balthazar roughly pushed his lips to Cas’. When he pulled back, he saw that Cas stood frozen, eyes wide with shock and that everlasting pink tinge gracing his face. He gave a hearty laugh before saying goodnight and giving Cas a piece of paper with his number on it. As he drove off, Cas finally started making his way to his car, still trying to understand what the hell just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news, guys. I'm gonna make a prequel to this called The Time Before. It will focus on Dean and the Novak's life just before the Novaks moved to Lawrence. However, that won't be up until this is over, if anyone cares. But I'm thinking of getting this done in 15 chapter or less. It will definitely be done by the middle-end of August. Hope you enjoyed Balthazar and Cas' date! If not, don't worry, I'll see if I can't work this out. Thank you for comments and kudos! I'll stop rambling now.


	10. The Move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I lied. This was going to be put up tomorrow, but I have horrible self-control, so it's up now. Oh, and I am so sick of typing 'Balthazar.' I hope I don't have to much longer. And a very special thank you to: Kookerz, avenging_wholockian3, b6l6u6e, angelsandcastiel, yj_lover, Bcs, armymenlegos, and k, for leaving me amazing comments! I love you people, gah! You're so perfect!

Dean sat in the coffee shop the next morning, fixing his book and trying to make it work. There was no way it would work without the character of Andrew. So, instead of taking him out like Castiel demanded, Dean just changed some things about him. Like instead of being shy, he was headstrong and fierce. And instead of being the oldest, he was the youngest. The book didn’t seem to have the same effect with some of the changes, but he could make it work. He was working on the ending when he saw a familiar redhead walk through the door.

“Anna?” Dean questioned as she approached him.  
“Yeah, hi, Dean.”  
“What’s wrong?” Dean could tell she looked panicked, or at least stressed.  
“Cas went on a date last night,” she confessed.  
“Really?” Dean was a bit shocked, but was more upset than anything.  
“Yeah, when he came home, he told Gabe and I all about it,” she said as she sat down across from him. “And apparently, the date was amazing.”  
“Oh? Well, that’s...” Dean trailed off, not knowing what to say anymore. It was at this point he just wanted Anna to leave him alone, but couldn’t help his curiosity. “So what happened?”

So there Anna sat, telling him what Cas had told them last night. She told him how Cas said Balthazar was very dominant and even kissed him, and how he was constantly making Cas laugh and blush.

“Wow, sounds like he really had a good time,” Dean said when she finished.  
“I guess he did, yeah,” she agreed in a quiet tone. “But, um, did he ever come talk to you?”  
“No? Was he supposed to?” Dean asked.  
“I told him he should, but obviously he didn’t listen,” she replied with disappointment.  
“Oh,” was all Dean could say.  
“Yeah, I just wanted to tell you about it, and I wanted you to know that if you wanted him back, you should try now, before Balthazar gets his claws into him. Because I’ll be honest, I like Balthazar, but he’s not... you. Cas seemed really happy when he was talking about the date, but I remember the first time he told me about your guys’ first date and he glowed. He had that sparkle in his eye that he just doesn’t have when he talks about Balthazar.”

This was news to Dean, and he appreciated Anna telling him this, but he wasn’t sure Cas even wanted to talk to him. Because if Anna had told Cas to talk to him a while ago and he didn’t, what made her think he would want to talk to Dean now? Especially now that he had someone else. No, Dean wouldn’t say anything. His plans were already set in motion and he wasn’t about to jeopardize them.

“I would Anna, but I’ve already got too much going on. And if he’s happy, then so be it. I’m not going to take that away.”  
“Fine, but when Balthazar destroys him, I’m not blaming only him,” she said as she got up.  
“What makes you think this Balthazar guy would hurt him? I mean Cas said it himself apparently that the date was amazing.”  
“Balthazar doesn’t like to stay in one place, if you know what I mean. I just get the feeling that he’ll get bored, and dump my brother like a piece of trash.” Anna said as she walked out without another word.

↭↭↭↭↭

Another two months passed before the two crossed paths again. Dean would either stay home all day and work, or he would make a quick run to the coffee shop, just picking up his coffee and leaving, not wanting to face Jo and her wrath. He made a lot of progress and knew he would be done any day now, that way he could move on.

Castiel and Balthazar went out many more times during those two months and Cas had quietly started referring to Balthazar as his boyfriend, much to Anna’s disapproval. Cas came home many nights saying that he was glad to be rid of Dean, and that Balthazar made him happy. Of course, Anna (and even Gabe) noticed that that wasn’t quite true. If Cas was caught off guard, he could be found just sitting quietly in what Anna thought to be a sulking manner. They eventually thought that Castiel was just dating Balthazar for Gabe and Anna’s benefit, so they would get off his back. Little did they know, they were right.

Cas was completely put off by Balthazar. He was arrogant and obnoxious, and was constantly trying to sleep with him, but Cas didn’t want that. Hell, Dean and Cas dated for four months and they still never took that final step. If he was being honest, Cas was nervous. He wanted to love the person he would lose his virginity to, (and yes Cas was still a virgin, although nobody knew that, not even Anna or Gabe) and he thought that person was Dean, until the shit hit that fan of course. But Balthazar was persistent, and was always trying to guilt Cas into sleeping with him, which is when Castiel would get up and leave, thinking him and Balthazar were over until he would call Cas and apologize, and beg for him to come back, only to do the same thing a couple days later. Cas was getting tired of this, but stayed with him nonetheless, because it kept Gabe and Anna off his back.

↭↭↭↭↭

Then, one horrendous morning, Balthazar called him and suggested they go out for coffee. Cas, agreed with annoyance for being awoken so early, but got up anyway.

It was just before they reached the familiar shop that Cas realized where they were headed.  
“Why can’t we go somewhere else?” Cas asked, trying to hide the panic in his voice.  
“Because this one’s right here, stop being a little baby,” Balthazar growled.

Cas tried to say that he would stay outside and wait, but he just forcefully pulled Cas into the shop. He tried to hide his face, but couldn’t help but peek up and take a glance at the back corner, where he and Dean sat for months every morning. The moment he and Dean locked eyes, Cas would swear up and down that time stopped for a minute. A look of sadness breached Dean’s face, and Cas couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“Come on, I already got out coffees,” Balthazar said harshly as he pulled Cas by the wrist, jerking both men out of their trances.  
To Cas, it looked as if Dean were about to say something as he was pulled out, but they were already outside before he got the chance to speak.

Cas wanted to go back, but knew it would seem a little suspicious to Balthazar. For the rest of the day, Cas felt guilt throughout him. He didn’t even drink the coffee, feeling like it was poison, just because it came from Balthazar’s hand.

↭↭↭↭↭

When Dean saw the couple, at first he thought it was his imagination playing tricks on him. But no, that hair and those eyes were unmistakably real. He saw that Cas walked in with his head down, probably knowing Dean would be here, but was most likely dragged here anyway by the blond man with a firm grasp on his wrist. When they say each other, Dean couldn’t help but feel sick. He wanted to hate the man with Cas, but he knew that he probably made Cas happy. He wanted to say hello, goodbye, or anything. And he almost did, but it was a little too late, and the blond pulled Cas out of the shop with too much force.

Dean and Castiel would forget about the encounter in the weeks to come, or at least they tried to convince themselves they forgot about it/

↭↭↭↭↭

It ended up taking another month before Dean was ready to send his book to Jess. He had to fix too many things, and at one point, he thought it would never work. He thought the ending would be awful, and it wouldn’t be what he wanted to happen. There was another moment of panic when Dean thought he would absolutely have to make the ending with the main characters mad at each other, which of course would then require him writing a sequel. With irritation flowing through him, Dean got rid of almost everything, and decided to just write what he knew. Eventually, he got the best story he could, and then decided to add an ‘about the author’ page in the back. And before he sent it in, he had one more spur of the moment idea that he simply couldn’t pass up.

↭↭↭↭↭

It didn’t take long at all for Dean’s book to be published. Jess and Sam had read it and told him that it was amazing, and that they couldn’t wait for the sequel. A few dozen copies of the book had been sent to Lawrence upon Dean’s request and he took them around town, hoping to find some bookshops that would sell it. Of course he took five copies to the old library that was ran by Mrs. Mills, and she was more than thrilled to read it and recommend it to everyone she knew. He came out on top, only having one more copy left at the end of the two weeks it took to get rid of them all, and thinking that it would look perfect on his bookshelf.

↭↭↭↭↭

“I kind of want to go to a bookshop, if that’s alright,” Cas said quietly, knowing he would get a look of disapproval from Balthazar.  
“Fine. Whatever. Let’s go then,” he reluctantly agreed as he forcefully grabbed Cas’s hand and led the way to the nearest one.

When they reached the shop, Balthazar told him he would wait outside to have a cigarette. It was a habit he picked up after he met Cas, and even though Cas thought it was repulsive and tried to get him to stop, it only ended in and argument, with one or both of them storming away.

Cas walked in a took a deep breath. He loved the smell of bookstores, and books in general. He was hoping to find something new to read, as all of his twenty books from Dean were finally read. He greeted the small blonde at the counter and began to walk around. He passed the sci-fi section, not really interested in that genre. After passing the children’s and religious sections, he reached the ‘new reads’ part of the store. At first, he didn’t see anything appealing, but was suddenly frozen when he saw the all too familiar name staring back at him. He picked up the book; titled “You’re My Muse” by the one and only Dean Winchester. He felt bile rise in his throat and tried to put the book down. He knew he should put it down as soon as he picked it up. It felt wrong to hold it, but despite all that, he couldn’t help but carry it to the counter for check-out. He paid for it and with the small bag in his hands, he headed back outside to and unsuspecting Balthazar.

“What’s wrong, love?” _God did Cas hate when he called him that._ “You look pale,” he said as they began to walk towards Cas’ house.  
“I’m fine,” Cas managed, receiving a doubtful look from the man next to him. “Really, I’m good. But if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to go home now.” Cas finished in a whisper.  
“Seriously? You make me go to a lousy bookstore with you then tell me to go away? That’s kind of crappy Cassie.” _Oh, that nickname was even worse than ‘love.’_  
“I’m sorry, I just don’t feel good anymore,” Cas confessed, and even if Balthazar didn’t believe it, it was true. Cas kept thinking he was going to be sick.  
“Whatever, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Balthazar spat as they reached Cas’ house.  
“Yeah, bye,” Cas said as he practically ran inside his house.

↭↭↭↭↭

Cas set the book down on the living room table, glad that Gabe and Anna weren’t home, because if they were, he knew they would scold him for putting himself through this. He stared at the black cover as thoughts raced through his head.

 _Did he take you out? Is the ending still happy? Would it give you any closure to read this?_  
 _Yeah, it probably would._  
 _But what if you fall in love again?_  
 _Who said I fell_ out _of love?_  
 _Fine, read it. Just get it over with._

Cas walked slowly over to the book and opened it up. He passed the copyright page and the title page, coming to a foreword. Biting his thumb, Cas hesitantly decided to read it.

 

_You know who this is dedicated to. You’re the reason this book exists. I loved (still love) you. I’m still trying to figure out what I did, but I hope that one day, we could part at least as friends. We had a great run though, right? Remember all the times we went to the park? How about spending our mornings at the coffee shop? Or when I first took you to Mrs. Mills library? Did you finish all those books yet? I know I should forget these things, but I’m still having a hard time getting there... I heard and saw that you’re happy, and for that, I suppose, so am I. I don’t know if you’ll ever even read this, but it feels good to finally get this out. I hope to see you again someday, if you’re not too busy with your new love for little old me. I’ll be honest, I miss you. Me getting up at seven thirty has become routine again without you. I never wanted to hurt you, and even though it’s been months, I think I’ll always love you. So there, now that I’ve said my peace, maybe I can move on, and hopefully find someone else, like you have. Goodbye, my love._

Cas had a few tears streaming down his face as he read those heartbreaking words. He put the book down and rubbed the tears from his face. He sat for a few minutes, and just stared at the book. Then, he picked it back up and reread the foreword. Each time he read it, he became angrier, not so much at Dean, as himself. He realized what a fool he’d been, and how he’d quite possibly gotten angry over nothing. With that in mind, he started reading the book in his hands.

↭↭↭↭↭

It took Cas five hours to read the book cover to cover, but he noticed once he reached the end of the first chapter, that he didn’t have to read this book, because he had  _lived_ it. Dean had written their story. No fake names, no name calling, just everything word for word. From Cas telling Dean that he wasn’t a stalker, to Cas shouting “and take me out of your fucking book, too!” It was all there, and Cas wanted to be angry, because this was so much worse, this didn’t have the aliases, so anyone who knew Cas, could figure out that this was him and his ex-boyfriend’s life for those five months.

_But what about the setting? His book was set in Rodanthe. He changed that too?_

Cas had checked, and sure enough, everything was changed. Dean’s book was now set in Lawrence, Kansas, and even Gabe, Anna and Jo made and appearance in the book. Jo’s lines had made Cas laugh, but deep down, this book hurt him. It pained him to read the book, but not because he was mad, but because he knew that Dean probably wouldn’t want to talk to him now, no matter what he said in the foreword. He had messed things up and there was most likely nothing he could do to fix it.

↭↭↭↭↭

The next morning, you would have found Dean Winchester, back at his second home. He was standing at the counter of the coffee shop, waiting for the line to end so he could talk to Jo.

It didn’t take too long, but by the end of the line, Dean was ready to just burst with the news that he had.  
“Alright, Winchester, what’s got your panties in a twist?” Jo mocked.  
“I’m....”  
“Spit it out, I’m not getting any younger,” she demanded.  
“I’m moving,” Dean said in a whisper.  
“Where to? Are you finally just put a bed in the coffee shop, that way you _never_ have to leave?” Jo chuckled, much to Dean’s annoyance.  
“No Jo. I’m moving to California.”  
Jo almost gave herself whiplash with how fast she turned to look at Dean.  
“You’re kidding.” She said simply, but when she noticed the serious look on Dean’s face she added: “Oh no you’re not!”  
“Yeah, I am. Sammy and Jess are there, and I’m gonna be staying with them for a while.”  
“You can’t! Who am I going to complain about Meg and Ruby to!?”  
Dean chuckled, but patted her arm.  
“I’m sure you’ll find someone willing to put up with you.”  
“No! Only you put up with me!” Jo was genuinely upset to see Dean go, despite the fact that they constantly teased each other.  
“I’m sorry Jo,” Dean replied, not able to look her in the eyes at that moment.  
“Well, when are you leaving?” Jo spoke quieter now.  
“Two days,” came the response.  
“Oh. Right. Well,” was all Jo could manage.  
“I’ll miss you,” Dean promised.  
“You better,” she gave him a sad smile, as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.  
“I have to finish packing,” he said as he pulled back.  
“Of course.”  
Dean started to walk out, when Jo came around the counter and pulled him into a hug.  
“You’ll come back one day right?” She sounded so... _small_ , childlike almost.  
“To visit, yeah. I will,” he reassured her as she let go.  
“Alright,” she nodded. “Go. Have fun, don’t forget us here.”  
“Never,” he promised as he walked out, for one last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost over! One more chapter (I think...)! It's not quite 15 chapters, which is what I was aiming for, but you know... and it will now be done by the end of the week. There will most likely be smut in that, so you are warned. However, since I suck at writing smut, it'll be pretty mild. Hope you enjoyed! And good job Kookerz, for guessing what Dean was writing. I didn't think it was obvious, but you managed to guess it, so for that, you're awesome!


	11. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been great! But this is the last chapter, in which Sam is bossy, Cas gets a job and I become a bit sick of Balthazar. And I know it's not really smut, just Dean getting all touhcy-feely, sorry about that, please don't hate me. All spelling mistakes are mine, so, sorry about that too. And yeah, I suck with time-jumps, I know.

The night before Dean said his goodbye to Jo, Cas had told Gabe and Anna all about the book, and the foreword. They told him over and over again that he needed to talk to Dean, but he wasn’t sure if he could. He figured now that Dean had said his peace, he really would move on. And Cas wanted to be happy for Dean, he did, but there was something telling him that he should just stow the crap and at least say goodbye.

He eventually told Anna that he would go see him the next morning at the coffee shop, if he was even still there. The rest of night, he paced around his room, debating on what he would say.

_You can’t really just go up to him and say “hi, how are things?” And you can’t yell at him. Will he yell at you? Will he ask who that guy you’re with is? Will things get better? Will you at least part on good terms? You should ask him if he plans on writing a sequel. Heh._

After a while, Cas’ thoughts had begun to slow, due to the lack of sleep. He didn’t want to sleep, knowing that going to bed would just make the next morning approach faster, and he still wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, or if he even wanted to talk to Dean. But he knew that he had to find closure from this, and move on, just like Dean had.

↭↭↭↭↭

As Dean walked back home that day, he tried not to think of all the people he would miss. Because while he didn’t really have ‘friends’ he did talk to a few people. He would miss Jo the most of course, along with Charlie and Mrs. Mills. And even though he would hate to admit it, he would still miss Castiel.

It hurt Dean to see Cas so happy. Don’t get him wrong, he was glad (on some level) that Cas was doing well, and that he had someone, but it hurt to know that that someone wasn’t him. He had said what he wanted to say in his book, and he thought that would help him, but he was wrong. It only made him want to see Castiel more. Now, with him moving away in a couple days, he thought that would make it even easier to forget those months they spent together.

When he got to his apartment, he took a moment to look around. It was already bare to begin with, but after moving out all of his furniture, it looked abandoned. This little place had been his home for years now, and he was hesitant to let that go. Hell, this town has been his home his whole life, and now he was just packing up and moving as if it never meant anything. He knew though, deep down that he had to move. The only reason he had stayed here this long because he was trying to hold onto his parents memory. It was time to move on.

“To bigger and better things, I guess,” he mumbled to himself as he wandered towards his bedroom to finish packing his clothes.

↭↭↭↭↭

 

Dean had finished packing the last of his clothes, and left out a pair of pants and two shirts for the last two days he’d be in town. Since it was still early, he figured he could go say goodbye to Charlie and Mrs. Mills. At least he wouldn’t leave with a guilty conscious for not saying goodbye. It wouldn’t matter if Dean was moving across the world, Mrs. Mills would still find a way to give him hell if he didn’t tell her he was leaving. Dean chuckled to himself at the thought, but still felt a pang of guilt hit him.

He headed out towards the bookshop first, since it was closer. He dreaded thinking about how this conversation would go, knowing that she would be mad that he was just up and leaving, but he hoped that eventually she would come around to the idea. With Mrs. Mills being the mother figure in Dean’s life, he didn’t know if he could stand her staying mad at him for this.

Dean reached the little shop and walked through the old wooden door.  
“Mrs. Mills?” Dean called out.  
“Dean? Is that you?” She replied as she walked toward the front of the store.  
“Yeah, it’s me,” he said as she came up to him. “Listen, I um, have some news,” he said in a quieter tone.  
“Is something wrong?” A small look of panic crossed her face.  
“No, not really, but you have to promise not to get mad, ok?”  
“I can’t promise that. So, what’s this news?” She asked, crossing her arms.  
“Well, in two days,” He stopped for just a moment, preparing himself for the reaction. “I’m moving to California,” he stepped back a bit, waiting for the ‘no you’re not.’  
“Well it’s about _damn_ time, Dean Winchester,” she said with a sigh of relief.

Now it was Dean’s turn to panic a bit, because that was the _last_ reaction he expected from her. And that was too easy.

“You- you’re not mad?” Dean asked.  
“Of course not! I think it’s great that you’re finally moving away, you’ve been here too long,” she smiled at him. “But, if you don’t mind me asking, what about that nice boy you brought with you that one day?”  
“Cas? Well, um. We ended up breaking it off,” Dean whispered, not wanting to delve into this topic.  
“He ended it, didn’t he?”  
“How could you tell?”  
“Because if you ended it, you probably wouldn’t look so miserable,” she explained. “I’m sorry honey,” she said with a sad smile, patting Dean’s arm in comfort.  
“It’s alright, he’s happy, and I don’t want to ruin that for him. So, I think it’ll be easier if I get over it as soon as possible.”  
“Good choice.”  
“Well, as much as I’d honestly love to say, I have to say goodbye to one more person,” Dean said.  
“Of course, dear,” she assured him, as Dean reached down to give her a tight hug.  
“Thank you, for everything,” Dean said with sorrowful eyes.  
“Anytime. And don’t you be a stranger.”  
“I won’t. Promise,” he said as he took his last step out of the bookshop.

↭↭↭↭↭

Dean walked into the diner, heading straight to the back to Charlie.  
“Dean-o! How’s it goin’?” She said with her bright smile.  
“Not bad Charlie,” he replied, instantly a bit happier after seeing her. “But um, can we go in the back? I have something to tell you.”  
“Sure. Is everything alright?” She asked as she led them into her office.  
“Yeah, everything’s great, I just have something big to tell you.”  
“Does that make me special?” She teased as they sat down.  
“Well, considering that besides me, only four other people know, yeah, I guess it does,” he chuckled.  
“Good. So, shoot. What’s this big thing?” She asked contentedly, folding her hands in her lap.  
“I’m moving to California in two days,” he said, not beating around the bush like he did with the last two people he told.  
“What?”  
“Two days. I’m moving. To California. I’m moving in with my brother and his girlfriend until I can find a job, or my book picks up.”  
“Oh. Wow. Just when I was beginning to think we could have been close friends,” she said with a pout. “But, nonetheless, I’m happy for you.”  
“It’s good to hear that, thanks.”  
“No problem. But you better bring your ass back here sometime to visit,” she demanded,  
“Everyone keeps telling me that, so don’t worry, I don’t want to get hell from everyone, so I will definitely come back,” he smiled.  
“Yeah, but now you’re leaving for who knows how long,” she sighed.  
“I still love you,” he joked.  
“I know,” she replied, smiling that brilliant smile of hers.

↭↭↭↭↭

The rest of the day was uneventful for Dean. He just walked around town for a few hours, trying to take in as much of his hometown as he could. With the support from Dean’s friends, he could finally get excited about moving.

California had always been somewhere Dean had wanted to go, but after the accident, he felt that he couldn't just pick up and leave like Sam did. He thought it would be disrespectful and even though he wasn’t a big fan of the town, he couldn’t help but stay.

But now that his book was done and published, and he didn’t have any guilt tying him to the town, he thought that this was his chance, for his new beginning.

↭↭↭↭↭

The next morning, Cas woke to the light pouring into his room. He glanced drowsily at the clock that read 10:36 and realized that he had slept later than he would have liked, but after not going to bed until almost 4 in the morning, he was actually surprised that he hadn’t slept longer.

He groaned as he pulled himself out of his bed, hoping he wouldn’t have to face Anna or Gabe, but he knew that would be too easy, and he also knew that wasn’t going to happen.

He dragged himself to the bathroom, taking note of his slight beard and bags under his eyes. After spending a few minutes fixing himself up, he went to get dressed. A simple t-shirt and jeans.

He went downstairs to find Anna and Gabe sitting at the table, most likely waiting for him before they went to work.

“Morning sunshine,” Gabe greeted, before sipping his coffee.  
“Big day,” Anna whispered to Cas as he walked in and sat down.  
“Yeah, I know. But, I’ll be glad once this is all over,” he sighed.  
“I think Balthazar will be pretty stoked too,” Gabe said. “He’s always complaining that you talk about Dean you know. It’s made work pretty sucky.”  
“Oh, well, excuse me,” Cas mocked.  
“‘S fine,” came Gabe’s reply.  
“You should go and get it over with,” Anna suggested.  
“You’re probably right,” Cas reluctantly agreed, as he pulled himself from the chair.  
“Wish me luck,” he said as he began to walk out.  
“Good luck,” Anna said, at the same time Gabriel said “Don’t tell me what to do,” with a teasing tone.

↭↭↭↭↭

To say that Castiel was nervous was an understatement. He pulled up to the coffee shop with sweaty hands on the steering wheel. He had a bad feeling about this, but knew he couldn’t just blow this off.

_It’s time. Come on. You can do this. Remember when you first wanted to talk to him? And you got all skittish and told him you weren’t a stalker? You walked away unscathed didn’t you?_

He hesitantly got out of his car and took the few steps into the shop. He immediately knew something was wrong, when he saw Jo at the counter, but no Dean in the corner.

“Did he become too famous for this little shop?” Cas joked as he walked up to the counter.  
“As much as I’d like to think that, no, he didn’t,” Jo said, not looking Cas is the eye.  
“So, then where is he? He’s always here in the morning.”  
Jo shot him a strong glare before speaking.  
“What right do you have to ask that? You broke up with him. You know that for _two months_ after your little outbreak, I was trying to put him back together? Do you know how he would come in here and look lifeless? Like he couldn’t live anymore? He loved you, you asshole... You don’t deserve to know what’s going on,” she spat at him, getting angrier by the second.  
“I know that, believe me... I know that I fucked up. I wish I could take it all back, but I can’t. I just want closure. I want to know if he still loves me, I _need_ to know. I need to apologize. I just- I need,” Cas sighed, knowing he would probably never get through to Jo. She was like Dean’s sister and wouldn’t break so easily.  
“He’s moving,” she whispered.

It was in that moment that any shred of hope Cas had disappeared. It made sense though. First, his farewell in the book, now he’s moving.

 _He’s getting_ his _closure._

“When? Where?” Cas asked quickly.  
“Tomorrow, to California,” she reluctantly told him.  
“Wh-why are you telling me?” He asked with surprise.  
“Because even though you’re the dick who broke him, when he was with you, he was the happiest I’d ever seen. I mean, he practically glowed. And even though you don’t deserve to know shit, I want him to be happy again. And I think in time... you could make him that happy,” she confessed, once again not looking him in the eye.  
“Thank you, Jo.”  
“Don’t get all girly on me,” she said, putting her ‘tough girl’ act back on.  
“Of course,” he chuckled. “I have to find him,” he realized, as he started backing out of the shop. “Thanks again!” He shouted as he raced to his car.

↭↭↭↭↭

Dean chose to stay in his apartment all day, despite the fact that it was completely bare. He had said goodbye to his friends, his town, and now it was time to say goodbye to his home. He walked into what was the living room and sat down in the middle, just reminiscing, when he heard a knock. It wasn’t something he was expecting, I mean, he already said ‘adios’ to everyone, who could that be?

_Crap._

Realization hit him like a brick wall as he got up off the floor. The only person he’d avoided, was now on the other side of his door. He wiped his hands-that were now sweating-on his jeans before opening the door to reveal that his assumptions had been right..

 

“Hello, Dean,” that gravelly voice filled Dean’s ears as blur eyes bore into green.  
“Hi, Cas.”  
“Can we talk?” Cas asked, squinting his eyes.  
Reluctantly, Dean agreed and told him to come in, and told him that if he wanted to sit, he’d have to do so on the carpet.  
“I’m good, thanks,” Cas replied as they stood in the empty room.

A silence fell between them for a moment, both noticing how it wasn’t a comfortable one, like it used to be when they were together.

“So...you’re moving?” Cas eventually asked.  
“Jo tell you?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Yeah, I am. Tomorrow.”  
“Oh.”  
“And?”  
“Are you happy?” Cas asked. “To be moving away?”  
“Yeah. I am, it’s time to go.”  
“But your whole life is here,” Cas bargained.  
“Not anymore. There’s nothing keeping me here,” Dean said as he looked down.  
“What about me?” Cas asked shyly.  
“What about you? You’re not mine,” Dean retorted harshly.  
“I could be,” Cas took a step closer to Dean. “I’m sorry.”  
“I don’t-” Dean started, glaring at Castiel. “I dont...want you.”

Pain flooded Cas, who knew that this was it... Dean had finally moved on.

“But, you said in your book...”  
“I’m a writer, I make things up,” Dean raged.  
“I still love you...” Cas admitted.  
“No, you don’t. That’s why you’re with blondy,” Dean argued.  
“My brother set us up, he’s my brother’s boss! If I broke it off, he’d give Gabe hell!”  
“Does everything fall on your shoulders?! Gabe’s a grown ass man! He can handle himself! Why can’t you man the fuck up and break it off!?”  
“I will! But please, I need you.”  
“Cas, I’m moving tomorrow. All of my things are in storage and I have everything packed. It’s too little too late.”  
“Please,” Cas begged.  
“I’m sorry. But I can’t. I won’t do it again.”

Cas had slumped over, and he had a miserable look in his eyes. Not knowing what else to do, he turned and headed to the door.

“I’m sorry, Cas,” Dean said, one last time as Castiel slowly walked out.

↭↭↭↭↭

The next day, around noon, Dean had gotten on a plane and was on his way to California, he waved one final hand at his hometown, and with a sigh, got ready for his new life.

He was in California in no time, meeting his brother at the airport so they could head ‘home.’ When they had gotten there, Jess welcomed him with open arms and told him that he could stay as long as he needed and that she and Sam were glad he finally moved on.

It only took Dean a few weeks to get settled, and after just two weeks, Jess had gotten him a job in the small publishing company she worked for. He was content. He was nestled in. He was better off. But that doesn’t mean for one second that he was happy.  
Dean had another routine now. Get up, go to work, come home around five, eat, watch tv, shower, go to bed, repeat. Once in a while on a weekend, Sam and him would go out with his friends from the law firm and they might have a drink or two, but that was the extent of Dean having fun.

It was like this for four months. Always doing the same thing, never breaking out of the rut he was in. He desperately wanted to go home, but he didn’t have his apartment anymore, all of his belongings were in storage here in California, and his ‘friends’ had probably forgotten about him. Not that he could blame them really, they all had their own life to live.

↭↭↭↭↭

Cas hadn’t been much better off for those four months. The day Dean left, he stayed home. He sat on his couch and wondered how everything had turned to shit so fast. When Anna and Gabe came home, and saw him sulking, it was obvious things hadn’t gone well. They talked to him about their meeting, hoping that getting it off his chest would help, but if anything, Cas thought talking about it made it worse.

A few days later, when the worried calls and texts from Balthazar became too much, Cas called him and told him to come over, because he figured they were long overdue for a talk. Cas was ready to put and end to this miserable relationship and he was glad that he was going to “man the fuck up and break it off.”

Balthazar showed up only a few minutes later, ready to scream Cas’ head off for ignoring him for four days. He had called, texted, asked Gabriel about him, everything. He did everything except show up at his damn door, and now that Cas was ready to talk, he should just run to him with open arms? No. That’s not how this works.

“Hey Balthazar,” Cas greeted, after letting him in.  
“You think this is fucking funny?” He growled, stomping into the living room.  
“I know, I should have called you back... But I was kind of dealing with something important.”  
“Four days!”  
“I know, and I’m sorry. But right now, we need to talk.”  
“Yeah, I think you’re right. I think you need to learn your place,” Balthazar stated.  
“Excuse me?” Cas said, standing in place, not knowing how else to respond to that.  
“You don’t get to ignore me for four days and then call me and expect me to just act like nothing happened. No, from now on, when I call or text you, you better answer or text me back.”  
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Cas agreed.  
“Really? Wow. That was easier than I thought it would be,” Balthazar chuckled at himself.  
“That won’t be a problem because you won’t be calling or texting me anymore,” Cas promised.  
Balthazar stood for a minute, not completely understanding what Cas meant.  
“What?” He asked once he couldn’t figure it out.  
“We’re done Balthazar. We’re over. I can’t be with you, and I don’t want to be...I don’t think I ever did,” he admitted.  
Balthazar got and evil grin on his face as he realized who this was about.  
“You want Dean back. Is that it?” He asked, stepping closer to Cas. “You know you can’t have him if you’re with me, so you’re breaking it off,” he figured.  
“You’re wrong.”  
“Oh no I’m not. You talked about him like the sun shone out his fucking ass. And you realized that you miss that, so you’re dumping me to go back to writer boy.”  
“He moved Balthazar! He’s not even in Kansas anymore!” Cas hissed, finally losing his patience. “I’m doing this because I don’t want to be with you! I’m being a man and I’m getting rid of you!” He finished, thinking that if Dean didn’t hate him, he would be proud.  
“‘Getting rid of me’?” Balthazar asked. “Well fine, I hope Gabe didn’t like his job, because he’ll find that he doesn’t have one anymore,” he threatened.  
“Seriously? You’re firing Gabe because I decided to end it? Way to prove how much of a little bitch you are,” Cas scolded.  
“I’m the bitch? You’re the one still pining over someone you broke up with almost five months ago!”  
“Maybe I pine after him because he’s not an asshole!”

After that, things seemed to slow, if only for a few seconds, as Balthazar raised his hand and with a loud crack, smacked Castiel.

“I hope you’re happy with him, you selfish prick,” Balthazar spat as he walked out of Cas’ home, slamming the door behind him, leaving behind a very angry and confused Castiel.

↭↭↭↭↭

After that, Cas didn’t talk much again. Gabe had ended up losing his job that day, and both Gabe and Castiel knew that it was Cas’ fault, and yet, they refused to talk about it. Cas had lost Dean, Balthazar-not that he ever really wanted him-and now his brother. He was beginning to think that moving to Lawrence was one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Anna kept telling him that things would look up, and that everything would be alright in the end, but he didn’t believe her. He couldn’t, when he looked at how bad things had gotten in a course of four months, what made her think things would start looking up now?

Cas took to staying in most days, only venturing out once in a while to the coffee shop to say hello to Jo. One morning that he happened to go to the shop, Jo seemed in a better mood than she had been the past couple of weeks.

“Mornin’ handsome,” she greeted as Cas walked in.  
“You’re too happy,” he said right away. “What happened?”  
“RUBY QUIT LAST NIGHT!” She shouted to Cas, gaining weird looks from the few customers in the shop.  
“Seriously? That’s great!” Cas smiled at Jo’s excitement, remembering all the times she complained about how much of a bitch Ruby was.

“Yeah, it is! But now we only have three people here, and the other girls don’t like working the night shift.”  
“Oh, well I’m sure you’ll find somebody, I wouldn’t worry about it,” Cas said.  
“Actually, I’m kind of hoping that I _already_ found someone,” Jo said, hopeful that Cas would catch the hint.  
“You...You want _me_ to work here?” He asked in disbelief.  
“Well, yeah. You’ve been here a while now, and you know all of the different drinks, and your attractiveness could help lure in more customers,” she said with a wink.  
“Wow, um. You know what?” He asked with a ‘what the hell’ attitude. “I’d love to work here,” he stated, grinning at Jo, who couldn’t have been happier.

↭↭↭↭↭

Time flew after that. Of course, things stayed the same for Dean, who still felt stuck. It took a while for Sam or Jess to notice how Dean was feeling, but once they did, they felt guilty. They saw him look depressed, he looked homesick, and they felt like they had pulled him away from his home when he still wasn’t quite ready to move on. However, neither of them knew that it wasn’t their fault, but Cas’.

Dean still thought about the day Cas came by the apartment, all those months ago, and how he had practically shoved Cas out of his life, thinking that if he avoided him long enough, he would forget about him. He thought about the months they were together, and even though they weren’t together very long, Dean had believed he truly loved him. He thought about Cas ending it, and hoping that his book would change his mind, but it had changed Cas’ mind a little too late. But that was alright, wasn’t it?

“Alright Dean, enough. What the hell has been eating at you?” Sam asked, bringing Dean back to reality.  
“What are you talking about?” He asked.  
“I mean that since you’ve been here, you’ve looked miserable. Jess and I thought at first that you were just homesick, and that you would get over it if you had a job, but apparently we were wrong. So, it’s gotta be something bigger than moving. It’s been four months, and you still look like someone kicked your puppy. Dean,” Sam wanted to approach this question carefully, not wanting his brother to flip shit and yell, or leave. “Did you have someone back in Lawrence?” He finally whispered, noticing the way Dean paled as he asked.  
“No, when I left, I left single.”  
“I didn’t ask if you came here single, I asked if you had someone there.”

Dean looked at him, with a bit of hate in his eyes.  
“Yeah, alright. I had someone, they broke up with me, almost a year ago, and I’m not over it. I loved them Sammy, I really fucking did, and I thought I could have made it better, but they were happy with someone else by the time I figured out how to fix it.”  
“Wait, you mean, like your book?” Sam asked, confused and a bit nervous. “Castiel was real? I thought you made him up, and you were just a douche to name your other character after yourself.”  
“No, Sammy, Castiel was real. And so was everything that happened.”  
“Oh my God, wow Dean. I didn’t even think,” Sam whispered.  
“Yeah. I moved away, thinking it would help me forget about the bastard, but then he shows up at my place the day before I leave to come here, and he’s begging me and telling me that he loves me, and that he was sorry for Balthazar.” Dean put his head in his hands and sighed. “And I told him ‘too little too late.’ He left after that, and we haven’t spoken since.”  
“Well then you need to get your ass back to Lawrence and make it up to him,” Sam scowled.  
“Wait...You’re not mad? You’re not gonna disown me?”  
“For what? Liking guys? Dean, if you were happy with a lamp post I would be happy for you, it’s about damn time man,” Sam said, hitting Dean on the shoulder.  
“Well thanks, but I’ve been here four months, no doubt he’s moved on by now, which I guess is... good.”  
“If he loves-and I mean really loves you, he’ll still think about you. Four months isn’t that long, Dean. You should go. Besides, this way you can visit-what’s her name? Uh, Jo! Yeah, didn’t you say you promised to visit anyway? It’s perfect!” Same smiled at his brother, hoping to get through to him.  
“Alright, alright, calm down,” Dean said, although he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t getting a bit giddy himself. “I’ll book a flight later, I should be able to get there by tomorrow night.”  
“Good.”

↭↭↭↭↭

The next day, Cas was due to start his new job at the coffee shop. He was excited, yet wary of how it would go. He was a bit nervous, considering he would have to walk in everyday and see that empty seat where Dean and him used to sit.

He was slowly getting over Dean, but four months didn’t put _much_ of a damper on his feelings for the man. He still thought about his laugh, or his eyes, or his kindness, which would automatically make him upset, but he was learning not to think about him so much. And now, with a new job, focusing on other things wouldn't be easier.

He started at one in the afternoon, and although he would have like Jo to stick around and help just in case he messed things up, she promised him that he would be fine, and that he had nothing to worry about, his shift would go smoothly.

And things were going smoothly, that is, up until he saw that all too familiar figure walk into the shop, confused look plastered on his face.

↭↭↭↭↭  
Dean had booked the flight, and was already scared. He figured he should be there by one the next day, and he hoped that if that was true, Jo would still be working. He really wanted to see the look on her face when she walked in. Hell, it’d be priceless.

There wasn't much of the day left, so Dean had to get packing. He would stay for one week, thinking that would give him time to visit everyone, and maybe he could patch things up with Castiel. Same had told him he should stay longer, because one week was not enough time to “patch things up,” but Dean figured that if things between them went even farther south, he wouldn’t have to stick around and try to avoid him. _Because that hadn’t really worked too well last time._

Once he had picked all of his clothes, he went straight to bed, wanting the next day to come as fast as it could.

↭↭↭↭↭

Dean woke up the next morning at 9:30. His flight was booked for ten, and it would take no time for them to get to the airport. With his bag in his hand, him and Sam took off, both ready for Dean to get back to Lawrence and fix this mess.

↭↭↭↭↭

When the plane touched down, Dean was practically shaking. Both with excitement and nerves. He couldn’t wait to see everyone, but he knew he wanted to see Jo first. He had gotten a rental car and put his bags in the back and headed to his favorite little shop.

↭↭↭↭↭

To say that they were both surprised and confused was an understatement. Though it sounded cliché, later the pair would say that time stood still. Dean didn’t know why Cas was working there, and Cas didn’t know why Dean had shown up out of nowhere.

“Heya Cas,” Dean almost whispered.  
“Dean?” Cas asked, not believing what he was seeing.  
“Yeah, it’s me,” Dean said with a shy smile.  
“Why are you here? I thought you were living it up in California,” Cas said, with more anger than he intended.  
“I, uh, came to visit everyone. I wanted to see how things were going. And...apparently you’re doing pretty well,” Dean chuckled, trying to diffuse the tension.  
“Um, yeah, this? I actually just started today. It’s kind of funny, Jo told me my shift would be easy, and it would go by smoothly. But I don’t know if I would call this ‘smooth’.”  
“Yeah, I was expecting Jo, but I guess this is a pleasant surprise.”  
“Is it?” Cas sounded a bit hopeful.  
“Yeah Cas, it is. I wanted to talk to you while I was here, and I guess now’s as good as ever.”  
“I’m working, Dean.”  
“I don’t see anyone here,” Dean gestured to the empty shop, knowing that people usually didn’t come here in the afternoon.  
“Alright...What did you want to talk to me about?” Cas folded his arms, ready for just about anything Dean wanted to say.  
Dean looked at his solemn eyes, and decided that this was it. If Cas didn’t take him back now, there was really nothing keeping him here.  
“I’m sorry. For pushing you out that day. I still loved you, but I saw that you were happy with Balthazar and I didn’t want to ruin that. I know you said you didn’t really want to be with him, but I thought you were just saying that. I’ve been miserable in California. Sam is the one who noticed and talked my dumb ass into coming back here. So, that’s it. That’s all I wanted to say, just, I’m sorry. And I still kind of love you, and I _know_ that its been months since we’ve actually been together, but if you still even like me, I want to try again,” Dean couldn’t meet Castiel’s eyes as he spoke. He was too afraid of rejection and he was scared that Cas would shout at him, or tell him to leave and never come back, but when he did finally look back up, Cas didn’t seem angry, or confused, or even happy. He looked almost sad.

“Thank you for saying that,” Cas said quietly.  
“Yeah, do you have anything-?”

Cas shook his head no, much to Dean’s disappointment.

“Alright then, I guess this is...Goodbye then. The last one too, I’m not gonna come back in another four months and hope you change your mind. If you say this is it, then it is. Thanks for listening,” Dean turned and began to walk to the door, and if there was anyone else in the shop, he probably wouldn’t have heard it, but because they were the only ones in there, he did.

“Stay,” came the hushed voice. “Please.”  
Dean looked back at Cas, with admiring eyes.  
“Are you sure?” Dean asked, uncertain if he heard that right.  
“Yes. Please stay,” Cas begged

 

↭↭↭↭↭EPILOGUE

Dean had moved back to Lawrence a few weeks later. Him and Castiel had moved into Dean’s old apartment, with Dean being extremely grateful that no one had rented it out. Things weren’t great between the two, but Dean and Cas knew that in time, they could be. It had taken another few weeks to get settled into their new (Well Cas’ new) home. Once everything was settled, things didn’t seem so tense.

Gabriel had found himself a new job, working in a new joke shop that opened up in town, hoping to spread the love of pranks. Anna and Charlie weren’t together anymore, but they considered each other best friends. Best friends who happened to have dated and made out a few times.

Balthazar was still an asshole, and he doesn’t even deserve my time or yours.

Sam and Jess had gotten married and a few months after Dean moving back home, and were already thinking about children. For the time, everything seemed perfect.

↭↭↭↭↭

“What do you say?” Dean asked with a suggestive wink, as he slipped his arm around Cas’ waist.  
“Dean, we just moved in! We have the rest of our lives to ‘christen the place.’ And besides, you’ve already lived here, and I’m pretty sure you’ve already had sex here, so it’s already christened,” Cas replied cockily.  
“Come on, you know you want to,” Dean started kissing Cas’ collarbone, still hoping to change his mind.  
“Dean!” Cas gasped as Dean bit down on the bone. “Dean Winchester! I am still a virgin, you know that!” Cas tried pushing him away, but gave up as Dean managed to pull him closer.  
“And you said we were gonna be together for the rest of our lives, right?” Dean asked, now looking at Cas.  
“Yes, exactly,” Cas agreed.  
“And you said you wanted to give your v-card to someone special, am I right?”  
“Um, yes,” Cas tilted his head, not sure where Dean was going with this.  
“Well, I’m someone special, and you’re gonna be with me forever, so come on,” Dean chuckled, going back to kiss down Cas’ neck.  
“Dean, if I say yes,” Cas gasped as Dean slipped his hand up Cas’ shirt. “You have to set up Gabriel’s birthday party.”  
“Cas, if you say yes, I’ll set up Gabe’s birthday parties for the rest of his life,” Dean mumbled, not looking up and a hickey already began to appear on Cas’ neck.”  
“Alright, fine, yes. God, let’s go,” Cas pulled on Dean’s hand as he led them up the stairs to their bedroom.  
“God I love you,” Dean chuckled, racing up right behind Cas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright? Alright. I know it's not the greatest ending in the world, but if you want I could write an epilogue? Like a chapter long epilogue. Let me know what you think! I hope you guys liked it, considering this was my first big fic. Thank you for all the comments/kudos! If you ever want me to write something, you can message me on tumblr: carryonmywaywardnugget, and I will rush to fill your fanfic needs. I love you all!


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